


the birth and death of the day

by sunnydaisy



Category: Supernatural, Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-31
Updated: 2013-07-31
Packaged: 2017-12-21 22:51:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 38,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/905892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnydaisy/pseuds/sunnydaisy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. The Forbes-Winchester family takes on the Apocalypse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: TVD and Supernatural are not mine. Title is from Explosions in the Sky.
> 
> A/N: Very AU, set around early Supernatural S4 and the tail end of middle TVD S3. 
> 
> A/N 2: If the Supernatural/TVD real worlds ever did cross, Dean would be 13 years older than Caroline (1979 vs. 1992) and Sam would be 9 years older than her (1983). But for this story, Sam is 6 years older (1986) and Dean is 8 years older (1984).
> 
> Most of the things that have happened in the Supernatural verse pre-S4 happen very quickly after each other (essentially, there's months in between Jess dying, John dying, Dean trading himself for Sam, etc., instead of years). Finally—in the first couple of episodes of Supernatural, Dean mentions it's been two years since he's seen Sam, so I'm going with that. This fic also relies on TVD's vamp mythology instead of Supernatural, so keep that in mind.
> 
> The prologue basically zooms through Supernatural S1-3 (and early parts of 4) and TVD S1-(most of) 3. It's mostly exposition and building relationships for the actual plot. Since this is happening in the past, the dialogue is in italics. Happy reading!

**the birth and death of the day**  

**prologue**

 

Caroline Forbes really can't remember a time when her parents had been married, much less happy together. She knows the story—Bill Forbes had tearfully come out to Liz before Caroline could form complete words, and by the time she was toddling around on her own, they were separated. 

What she does remember—vividly, in fact—was meeting John Winchester.

She's five, a knee-high bundle of blonde hair and giggles, and he towers over her. Caroline remembered being a little scared of him, of his dark hair and dark eyes and how he didn't really smile—the antithesis of Bill Forbes. But he has two boys, Dean and Sam; and she always cries when Elena and Bonnie have to go home, so maybe brothers won't be so bad. _And,_ Liz reminds her, stroking her hair, _you'll always be my baby_. So she cautiously accepts these new additions.

By the time she starts first grade at Mystic Falls Elementary, Liz announces that she is marrying John Winchester; and Caroline learns that it isn't that Dean doesn't like her—he's just thorny with _everyone_. Everyone except Sam, who eagerly slips into the role of big brother because (she learns later) he always wants to be just like Dean. _Dean is the best big brother ever, Caroline_ , he tells her with big, serious eyes. She doesn't believe him, because _Sam_ is the best big brother ever and she follows him around faithfully.

(Not six months later, she and Dean bond over a fierce mutual love of pie, and Sam scowls at them, muttering something about _team cake_.)

 

 

 

... ... ... ... 

 

When she turns eight, she asks Liz why John takes so many long business trips. _Because,_ Liz tells her, pushing some of the hair that had slipped from Caroline's ponytail behind her ears, _he's taking care of us._ Her tone makes it clear that there are to be no more questions, at least not about John and his vanishing acts.

At ten, Caroline starts to pick up on things changing, like how her mother's eyes have slowly stopped sliding to the calendar on the kitchen wall where a small x marks every day that John is gone, and how Dean and Sam are constantly snapping at each other. The air in the house is always thick with tension; she signs up for the school cheer team to get away from it and wonders if Miranda and Grayson Gilbert would mind very much if she starts spending every weekend with them.

 She gets her first "boyfriend" at eleven—Justin Andrews; and even though Dean is disappearing with John constantly now and Sam is wrapped up in dreams of college ( _You can't tell anyone, Care_ , he warns, swearing her to secrecy), they briefly unite to lean against the kitchen counter and glare at Justin while he and Caroline do math homework. Liz laughingly tells them later that in fifth grade, "boyfriend" does not mean what they think it means.

 

 

 

... ... ... ...

 

The summer that Caroline is almost fourteen (and she and Bonnie and Elena spend most of their days at Tyler Lockwood's pool while Elena and Matt Donovan sneak not-so-subtle looks at each other) is when the Winchester-Forbes blended family collapses and she's forced to be a little more grown up.

  _Anybody else would be proud of me!_ Sam shouts, and Caroline flinches from her spot on the front porch. She pulls her knees up to her chest. _Why can't you just be proud of me?_

 Everyone is screaming at everyone, with John bellowing that Sam is ungrateful and going to get himself killed (which made Caroline roll her eyes, because _seriously_ it isn't like Stanford is a serial killer hotbed—that she knows of), Dean is desperately trying to referee and Liz is shouting that Sam is an adult and if he wants Stanford, _then he's getting Stanford, John!_

Her heart nearly stops when she hears John say above the cacophony of voices, _If you walk out that door, Sam, you better never come back_. The hush that follows John's threat roars in Caroline's ears and she drops her forehead down to her knees, tears slipping down her face. She knows what's coming, remembers the fevered light in Sam's eyes when he had told her dreamily about Paulo Alto, beaches and massive scholarships. All she can hear is _never, never, never._

 The silence stretches on until she hears movement in the house, doors banging and then she hears Dean— _Sammy, don't_ —and when the front door swings open, she raises her head and looks at Sam as she wipes her eyes. Sam stops, sighs and drops down into the seat next to her.

 _It'll be okay_ , Sam tells her quietly. _He's just pissed. He'll come around by Christmas and everything will be fine._

She hesitates before responding, _Come back, okay?_   He smiles at her a little and when he stands up, he pulls her up with him and hugs her tightly. _Be safe, Sam_ , she says quietly as he leaves, his tall frame disappearing down the street.

The next morning, she wakes up to her mother telling her that John has taken off, and Dean mumbles without looking at either one of them, _M'heading off too._ Caroline stares at both of them, and all her emotions must be written on her face because Liz says softly, _Oh honey_. Dean still doesn't look up and suddenly, Caroline hates them, hates _all_ of them because how dare they stop being a family?

 _Fine_ , she shouts, heading to the door. _Leave! That's all you Winchesters are good for anyway!_ And she storms out, a thirteen-year-old storm of hurt and heartbreak, the door slamming behind her. She's barely made it to the mailbox when she hears behind her, _Care I'm coming back. It's not forever._

Caroline blinks at Dean and says quietly, _Promise?_ He grins and shoulder bumps her. _Promise_.

She's fifteen when Dean calls her from Sam's phone and tells her, voice hoarse, that Sam's girlfriend has died and that they'll both be off the grid for a little while. He tells her to ask Liz when she wants to know why, and when Dean puts Sam on the phone, Caroline wishes with every bone in her body that she was with them. It's been two years since she's seen Sam, two years of sporadic phone calls; and Dean's not much better, only popping in for the occasional holiday. She tells Sam as much, then says, _Whatever's going on, just be careful, okay?_

... ... ... ...

Apparently 'a little while' is about three months, because she comes home from cheerleading practice to find her stepbrothers on her front porch with serious faces and barely healed bruises and cuts. _It's Dad_ , Dean says flatly when, after worrying over them and plying them food, Liz finally asks what's happened. Caroline watches as Liz pales and her heart breaks a little because she knows despite everything, Liz never really stopped loving John Winchester.

Sam and Dean take off again, but Caroline's not nearly as bitter at fifteen as she had been at thirteen and they promise to check in regularly.

It's six months after the bombshell of John Winchester's death (and Bill Forbes has moved back to Mystic Falls with his partner Steven, and Caroline starts to think maybe this could all be okay) when the bottom drops out. _Again_.

The black Impala is sitting in her driveway and Dean's watching Sam pace on the front porch. That's when Caroline Forbes learns demons are real (and that one killed Mary Winchester by slashing her stomach and pinning her to the ceiling), that Sam had _died_ and was brought back because Dean made a deal with the devil using himself as the leverage.

 _How long?_ she asks, her insides numb. _How long do you have?_ Dean shrugs and says, _A year_.

 _We're gonna figure out how to stop it_ , Sam assures her and it's all just too much for a (barely) sixteen year old whose biggest worry an hour ago was mastering a backtuck.

Sam and Dean both stick closer to Mystic Falls for a while, and if Caroline doesn't think too hard, it's almost nice having both of them around all the time. Except Dean is teaching her how to shoot a shotgun with a slightly terrifying ferocity, Sam drills Latin chants into her head, and Elena's parents die in a car accident.

Caroline and Bonnie practically move into the Gilbert house, taking turns forcing Elena to eat and explaining stuff like the school's counseling policies to her aunt Jenna (Caroline is particularly knowledgeable about that one—the counselor had pestered her incessantly after John died). Jeremy just sits and stares, and the house still smells like Miranda Gilbert's perfume. In the middle of all of this, Sam tells her gently that he and Dean have to go, that there's something they need to take care of.

 

... ... ... ... 

She's sixteen (going on seventeen) and Caroline's pretty sure that this is the last time she'll ever see her oldest stepbrother. Her heart is already raw and she desperately tries to keep from crying, but when she goes to hug Dean goodbye, she can't stop the muffled sobs. They stand like that for a long time— _not long enough_ —with Caroline almost hyperventilating into Dean's shirt and Sam looking down, fists clenched. 

 _Hey_ , Dean says, pulling away slightly and looking down at her. _Hey Care, you listen to me, okay?_ She clamps her mouth shut and meets his eyes; without an outlet, the sobs make her shoulders shake. 

 _It's gonna be fine, Care_ , he says. _We're gonna go fix this, okay, and then me and Sammy'll be back to threaten all your boyfriends. Okay?_

She takes in a trembling breath and whispers, _okay_ and Sam gives her a brief but tight hug before they both disappear. She watches the Impala pull out of her driveway and wishes that Mary Winchester had never been pinned to her own ceiling.

 ... ... ... ... 

 

Sam comes back a month later, alone and thinner than she's ever seen him. She doesn't ask what happened (she doesn't want to know, wants to remember Dean as he was, standing in the kitchen and expounding on the delicacies of blueberry pie) but she does tell Sam she loves him. She makes him tea and they sit silently on the couch in the living room until Sam says, voice raw, _Love you too, Care._

The Gilbert car accident has Bonnie on super-friend alert, and after Sam's been back a week Bonnie seeks her out. She's noticed the Impala is back, but Elena had mentioned in passing that she'd only seen Sam around, and Bonnie's concerned. Caroline wants to tell her _so badly_ because she's never kept a secret for this long (mostly because she sucks at it). She wishes she could cry on Bonnie's shoulder, but Bonnie's life is _normal_. And even though it sometimes feels like she's the odd man out in the Caroline-Elena-Bonnie circle of trust, she loves them and isn't dragging them into this just because she could use a shoulder to cry on. 

Sam lives in his old bedroom for two months, and no one goes into Dean's old room. He leaves after school starts back—she comes home from the first cheerleading practice of the year to find him gone and note on the kitchen counter that says in his chicken scratch that he's not going very far, and he'll be back soon.

 

... ... ... ... 

She's precariously balancing holding herself together, worrying about Sam, worrying about Elena, and missing Dean when she meets Stefan Salvatore. Almost immediately, Caroline fancies herself half in love with him— _we're thinking a June wedding_ —but he looks at Elena like she hung the moon, so she scraps that. His brother's hotter anyway, and she's not even one hundred percent sure if she's actually into Damon Salvatore or if she's just trying to fill the cracks in her heart.

Giant pieces of time start disappearing and Caroline has these _marks_ surrounded by angry purple bruises on her neck. She can't explain where they're from, and she doesn't have the energy to come up with a halfway passable excuse, so she invests in some scarves and heavy duty concealer. She's peering in the front hallway mirror, trying to settle the scarf in the perfect position when, from the doorway, _It's 85 degrees outside, Care._ Sam grins at her and she squeals a little, jumping into his arms for a hug. _Got a_ _hickey?_ His grin is teasing, but she swallows nervously all the same.

 _Weird things are happening_ , she says later as they eat dinner at the Grill. He gives her a curious look and she goes on, _Can't really explain it. Just…keep your eyes peeled._ She doesn't know why she doesn't tell him about the missing time or the holes in her neck.

Damon Salvatore chooses that moment to drop into the seat next to her, all arrogant swagger and smirking. She can't explain why her stomach starts to knot and her hands start to tremble. _Who's this, Caroline?_ he drawls, giving Sam a once over. 

Sam _does not_ like him, she can tell immediately. _I'm her brother_ , Sam says coolly and Caroline is pulling her wallet out and dropping bills onto the table because she's pretty sure this is about to get ugly, _fast_. Damon smirks and looks right at Sam as he kisses her goodbye and before Sam can react, she's pulling him out the door.

 _I don't like that guy_ , Sam says as soon they're both in her car, his eyes narrowing. _Something's off with him._ She rolls her eyes and mumbles something about brothers and boyfriends, but if she's really honest with herself, she's not even sure _she_ likes Damon.

 

 

... ... ... ... 

 

Damon's done with her a mere two weeks after that, and Caroline is determined to drown her sorrows— _shallow, useless_ —in the Grill's liquor supply. Sam had left the day before because he'd gotten a weird phone call from some friend of his dad's and had gone to check it out. But the more she drinks, the more she misses Dean.

Matt Donovan cuts her off when he notices she's about to start crying. He pockets her keys, drives her home and lets her cry on his shoulder. She drunkenly thinks that that was all she ever really wanted.

 

 

... ... ... ...   

Caroline's kind of dating Matt, Bonnie and Elena have closed themselves off from her, and Sam's been gone for a while now. She throws herself into school, into cheerleading, into winning Miss Mystic Falls; and when she wins she thinks that Dean would have had a field day at her expense. Her mom is pulling away too, saying that work is picking up and Caroline gets that being Sheriff is a big deal, but _nothing_ happens in Mystic Falls. Well—she remembers the Gilbert car crash with a flash of guilt—nothing intentional, anyway.

It's Founder's Day and the sun is shining brightly enough that Caroline can almost forget that she hasn't heard from Sam in almost a week, that he's been gone almost a month, and that her mom isn't watching the Miss Mystic Falls float. Matt squeezes her hand in the volumes of her antebellum dress and she brightens a little.

By the time the festivities are over, it's already dark and Tyler Lockwood offers her and Matt a ride home (maybe in an attempt to make peace over some fight they've had, Caroline's not totally sure—Matt never did tell her the specifics). Later she'll wish she had said no, because Tyler crashes his car into a tree and _everything hurts_ before she passes out.

When she wakes up, Matt has his head in his hands and Sam is leaning against the wall of her hospital room with his eyes squeezed shut like he's praying. 

 _Sam?_ she croaks out and her voice is scratchy against her throat. They are on either side of her hospital bed now, each peppering her with questions— _how do you feel, do you need the nurse_ —and she shakes them both off.

 _I feel fine,_ she says truthfully. _I feel great, actually._

Matt's face breaks into a grin and he says he's gonna go call Tyler and let him know, leaving her and Sam alone.

 _Where've you been, mister?_ she asks, rubbing her forehead and frowning at the IV in the back of her hand. He shrugs. _I'll tell you all about it when you're better._

Except she doesn't get better. 

Caroline Forbes is seventeen when she dies at the hands of a girl wearing her best friend's face.

 _Game on,_ not-Elena says.

 

 

... ... ... ... 

_Am I evil now?_ she moans to Sam, whose face is white as a sheet. _Are you going to kill me?_

That shakes him out of his daze and he grips both of her arms tightly. _No_ , he says forcefully. _You're not evil, Care_.

 _But I killed someone_ , she whispers. Sam shakes his head and repeats, _You're not evil, Caroline._ He pauses and then tells her, a note of warning in his voice, _Don't tell your mom, okay?_

She breaks up with Matt because she might love him, and she _definitely_ hates herself— _shallow and useless_. She cries into Elena's arms afterwards because Bonnie (who is also a witch, Elena says gently, because why not) still isn't speaking to her and Damon's always grumbling under his breath that he should have killed her when he had the chance. Elena lashes out at Damon after that; and Stefan teaches her how to catch squirrels and to control herself through breathing. _Like yoga_ , she says with a lightness she doesn't feel, and Stefan smiles a little.

Elena tells her everything that's been going since the Salvatores rolled into town (Caroline can't help but blame them both a little bit, since they're the reason that bitch Katherine was even in Mystic Falls) and Damon adds that they're going to take Katherine out if Caroline wants in. As if he has to ask.

The plan kind of works—Katherine's trapped in the tomb where, Damon notes gleefully, _she was supposed to be all along_. But they have bigger problems than Katherine now because Elena does not look like that horrid bitch by accident.

The first vampire—the Original—Klaus, Elena says quietly, is coming and he wants the doppelganger.

 

... ... ... ... 

Their gang of misfits discovers that Katherine might be the most thorough vampire ever—turning Caroline and triggering Tyler's werewolf curse— _seriously, though, werewolves too? How is this real life?_ —to break the Sun and the Moon Curse. (Because seriously, if demons and vampires and deals made with souls as collateral are real, then hey, why not werewolves too.)

The horror of her own transition is still firmly in the forefront of her mind, so she tells Tyler she'll help him through the full moon. After all, Bonnie's finally warmed back up to her and Caroline figures it can't hurt her karma to pay it forward. 

But then Elijah—who Caroline's never even met before, so she's not convinced she should trust him just because Elena vouches for his intentions—drops the bomb that the stupid Sun and Moon Curse is freaking _fake_. Elena explains quietly, her hands shaking a little, that there is _a_ curse, but it's not on all vampires and werewolves like they had thought. It's just on this one vampire—Klaus, the Original, who by the way is Elijah's _brother_. He's a vampire, but also a werewolf and the real curse is what's keeping him from being this—this _hybrid_. The ingredients to breaking it are all the same, and Elena ticks them off: vampire, werewolf, moonstone, doppelganger.

She goes to Sam, because damn if they aren't out of their league with this one. He pulls out John Winchester's journal and flips through it, searching for anything that might be useful, but there's no mention of doppelgangers or moonstone curses. Sam double-checks all the windows and doors for Devil's Traps, iron, salt, the works. She doesn't know if any of those will do much good, but she has him check anyway because Klaus is really freaking _scary_. Caroline tells Sam he should probably head out of town until this whole thing goes down, and even though she doesn't mention Dean, she thinks Sam probably gets it.

But it doesn't even matter in the end.

Elena dies (except Bonnie and Elena's bio-dad John Gilbert find a loophole that Caroline may spend forever thanking God for). Jenna dies. Damon almost dies, except Stefan makes a deal with Klaus in exchange for Damon's life. The familiarity of Stefan's sacrifice nearly brings Caroline to her knees.

 And as if their lives hadn't been completely intertwined with death already, Jeremy dies, and it's _Liz_ who kills him because she was aiming for Damon.

 

 

... ... ... ... 

The witches abandon Bonnie in retribution for her begging for Jeremy's life, Damon has a wall in his closet filled with newspaper clippings on animal attacks across the Southern US, and Caroline spends most of her time at Elena's. Even though she and Sam had tag-teamed Liz Forbes and convinced her that her daughter wasn't a monster, home was awkward, especially with Sam spending longer and longer chunks of time away from Mystic Falls. Plus Elena's been almost zombie-like since Stefan left with Klaus and Caroline considers it her duty as a best friend to at least try and offer a balm.

She's seventeen (almost eighteen) and damn if she doesn't feel _ancient_.

But then there's Tyler, and maybe they're sort of dating. Sam makes a grunting noise when she mentions it to him, so she takes that as his approval; but she waits on telling Elena. Stefan is literally _ripping_ apart entire families.

Damon takes Elena to Chicago in a last ditch effort to get their Stefan back and when they return without him, Caroline spends two straight days at Elena's house. _We'll get him back_ , she says soothingly, her hand running up and down Elena's spine in long strokes, the way Liz used to do when she was little. _We'll fix him_.

 

... ... ... ...

Stefan comes back, but so does Klaus. He kills _Tyler_ , for some psychotic _hybrid_ experiment; and he compels Stefan's soul right out of him. They can't fix Stefan anymore; and this time, Caroline and Bonnie both spend a week on Elena's couch. 

Damon has some master plan to kill Klaus, but Caroline wants no part of it. They have a horrible track record with plans, and Caroline has to protect the people she loves. She calls Sam and leaves him a voicemail, telling him to stay where he is (wherever _that_ is) and that she'll call him when it's safe to come back. She's starting to think maybe she should leave with him next time, because anywhere has to be better than Mystic Falls. Plus Klaus's stupid _sister_ is trying to take over her life, and Caroline's not sure she even wants to fight Rebekah for it.

She's complaining about Damon and his stupid plans (and about Klaus and his stupid sister) to Tyler at the Homecoming that's now occurring in his backyard when he cuts her off and tells her the whole Kill Klaus plan is going down _right now_ and he's not going to let her die.

When she wakes up later, she realizes with a flash of hurt that he had knocked her out. He tries to explain himself, but she does _not_ play around with her free will—not anymore. Add into that the fact that she doesn't even know if his actions are his own anymore because of his freaky sire-bond to Klaus? God, Mystic Falls is the worst place for a relationship.

Elena tells her tiredly that Stefan stole Klaus's family—and Caroline blinks, because _what?_ How do you steal someone's family? _He's got them daggered and in coffins. He carries them around with him_ , Elena says.

 _Psycho_ , Caroline mutters under her breath and she's surprised when Elena laughs a little.

 

 

... ... ... ... 

It's her eighteenth birthday and Sam calls her before her alarm goes off.

 _Happy birthday!_ he shouts in her ear, and she can pretty much hear his goofy grin splitting across his face. _Thanks_ , she says. _Coming home?_

He surprises her by saying yes, and adds, _You're gonna love my present, Care._

She smiles a little before saying goodbye and gets up, staring at herself in the mirror.

 _Happy birthday,_ she says to her reflection, but all she feels is phony. Dead girls don't have birthdays. She's stuck at seventeen—a boring year that's only a bridge to eighteen. She's trapped in a filler year _forever_.

She can play at being normal for a little while longer but after college? Elena, Bonnie, Matt, Jeremy—they'll get married together, have babies together, get wrinkles and laugh lines together. But Caroline will always be seventeen.

 

... ... ... ... 

 

Tyler bites her and all she can think as the pain radiates through her entire body is _here lies Caroline Forbes—friend, sometimes mean girl—seventeen forever_.

She has no idea where vampires go when they die, but she's holding out hope that maybe she'll see Dean when she gets there. Yeah, she thinks tiredly, she'd like to be with Dean again.

She can hear her mother's footsteps, followed by heavier ones, and she thinks groggily that Sam must have blown out the Impala's engines getting here because she was pretty sure he'd been in Nevada or something. She closes her eyes and says to Sam in her mind, _Don't worry, I won't tell Dean._ But it's not Sam.

It's Klaus and he must be here to finish her off, which in all honesty is kind of fine by her at this point. But he doesn't. To her eternal astonishment, he's almost offended when she asks if he's here to kill her. He tells her if she decides to live, the entire world will be waiting for her. He waxes poetic about beauty and her future and she's almost lost in the images his voice is spinning. It all sounds so enticing that when he offers her his wrist, she sadly says goodbye to Dean in her mind and bites.

 

... ... ... ... 

When she wakes up the next morning, the gash on her collarbone is completely gone and there's a diamond bracelet on her nightstand. But best of all, _Sam_ is in the kitchen and despite the stiffness in her muscles, she almost tackles him.

Liz must have told him what had happened before she left for work because he's immediately got her at arm's length and his eyes are sweeping over her, looking for damage. _It's fine_ , Caroline assures him. _I'm okay._ She nudges at him and grins. _Where's my present?_

His face relaxes and he motions to the door.

Dean's smirking at her. _Happy birthday, Care Bear._

 

 

... ... ... ...

Even though Sam tells her he's already made Dean do all of this—several times—she makes him drink three glasses of holy water, hold silver, hold iron—anything she can think of. Dean does it all good naturedly and when she's finally convinced, she's crying as she reaches for him, nearly knocking him over.

 _How did you get out?_ she asks, sniffling, not raising her head from his shirt. He smells like the inside of the Impala and tears threaten to spill down her face again.

Sam clears his throat and says pointedly, _Something's happening, Care. Something really big._

Caroline looks up at Dean and he pushes his shirt collar aside, showing her.

 _Are those—fingerprints?_   She's dumbfounded. 

Sam and Dean exchange looks and she says to Sam, _So you've been gone so much to prepare for this Something Big?_

He sighs and Dean says quietly, deep voice grave, _There's a war coming, Caroline._

 

 

_... ... ... ..._

  
**tbc.** _  
_

 


	2. one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Not mine, etc. Title is from Explosions in the Sky.
> 
> A/N: Seriously AU.

**the birth and death of the day**

 

**1.**

 

"There's a war coming, Caroline," Dean repeats solemnly and she shakes herself out of her fog.

 

"Yeah. You mentioned that," she says faintly, her grip on his arms tightening to fend off her sudden light-headedness. She wonders if vampires can pass out. " _A war_? Are you sure? How do you know? Is it coming to Mystic Falls or just _coming?_ What's—"

"Breathe, Caroline," Sam cuts in and he has the presence of mind to look a little sheepish when she gives him major side-eye. "Sorry. Just…take it easy, okay? We're gonna tell you everything we know, so chill out."

"Okay," she agrees quietly, and Dean's eyes fall onto the birthday cake Liz had left on the counter for her yesterday morning. Most of the cake is still there because she had only taken some of it to Fell's Tomb to share with Elena, Bonnie and Matt (they'd all been way more interested in the beer). Sam sees what Dean is looking at and rolls his eyes at Caroline, who tries to smile but comes up wanting.

"What happened to _team pie_?" Sam asks sarcastically as Dean pulls away from Caroline and advances on the cake. He scoffs as he pulls a fork out of a drawer and pulls off the plastic cover guarding it.

"You don't turn down sex just because a woman isn't a supermodel, Sammy," Dean opines through a mouth full of fluff and frosting. He brandishes his fork at Sam for emphasis.

She still can't take her eyes off of Dean; afraid that if she does, he'll disappear and she'll discover this was all a fever dream. " _Gross_ ," she manages to say, shaking her head slightly; and he may be recently resurrected, but that doesn't mean she can't call him on his crap. " _Sexist_ and gross." But a part of her is incredibly relieved that wherever Dean has been the past few months, he's still _Dean_ and not some shell of himself. 

"Think you can leave your lover alone for _just a second_ and explain that handprint?" Sam asks waspishly, one eyebrow arched. Dean shoots Sam the middle finger, takes another bite of cake, closes his eyes and groans.

"I'm telling you," he says rapturously, "Liz Forbes makes a _mean_ chocolate cake."

"It's not _that_ good," Sam says impatiently.

" _Why_ do you have a handprint burned into your shoulder?" Caroline asks again softly, interrupting them.

Dean chews slowly and says, "It's a really long story, Care. If you've got plans, you're gonna want to cancel them."

"You're either fishing for gossip or stalling. Give it up and start talking," she orders, channeling as much Bonnie Bennett into her tone as she can. She's being a bitch and she knows it; but she's _terrified_ because Dean was _dead_ and now he's not and he's talking about _war_. Sam smirks at Dean, who sighs dramatically as he picks up the plate with the entire rest of the cake on it and marches into the living room.

Dean drops down into the middle of the couch and Caroline, eyes still lingering over him as if he'll vanish into thin air if she looks away for too long, sits next to him. Dean rubs his chin and says, "I'm just trying to decide where's the best place to start." He looks over at Sam a little helplessly. 

Caroline bites her lip and asks gingerly, "Where did you go after you—you know."

He frowns a little, looking down at the plate in his lap before sliding it on the coffee table. "Hell," he says simply and the way he says it, all flat and toneless and _empty_ , makes Caroline's insides twist and her heart fracture.

"It was horrible. A month here is ten years in Hell, so. . ." he trails off and he's staring at the ground as though it can wipe his memory. "Whatever the darkest and most horrific place you can imagine is, Hell is worse." 

The only sound in the room is the ticking of the clock on the mantle. Caroline's eyes are welling up and Sam's hands are clenched together, even though she'd be surprised if he hadn't heard this already. She swallows the lump in her throat and waits for him to go on. 

Dean runs a hand over his head and she thinks he must be giving himself a mental slap because he lightens considerably. "But I'm out and it's over now, so."

"So," she echoes. "A war? That handprint?"

He seems to be considering his words carefully. "So demons exist, right?" he finally offers, a little lamely. Sam's head drops back in frustration.

She stares at him and doesn't answer, her throat constricting.

"Look," Sam takes over, eyes on the ceiling. "Demons aren't the only things that exist, we know that. There's an entire spectrum of supernatural beings out there—" _Of which I am one_ , Caroline thinks, and it dawns on her that she has no clue if Sam's told Dean about her . . . _condition_. "—And we've found out something exists that we thought was just a story."

There is silence again and Caroline thinks she might actually lose her mind if one of them doesn't tell her what's going on. All the possibilities are running through her brain and she can't really think of anything worse than demons and vampires, so it _must_ be bad.

"Angels," Dean says finally. "An angel pulled me out of Hell."

Caroline's mouth drops open—her jaw actually, _physically_ falls. 

"Angels?" she repeats weakly. "Like—like the ones that visited Mary and the manger?"

Dean snickers. "Well, they're not really what _I_ pictured, but yeah. The whole 'servants of God' thing." 

Caroline's head is spinning. "So . . . so God's real too?" She seriously can't handle this, because this revelation can only mean that she really is eternally damned.

"We don't know yet," Dean says and when Sam scowls at him, he amends, "We don't know yet, but Sammy here thinks so."

She meets Sam's eyes and it doesn't take him long to figure out what direction her thoughts have taken. "Care," he says, coming to squat in front of her and taking both of her hands in his. "We have no idea what decides where people go when they die."

" _Sam_ ," she wails softly. "I'm a _vampire_ , of course we know where I'm going." Out of the corner of her eye she notes vaguely that Dean doesn't look surprised by her declaration. Well that answers that.

" _Caroline_ ," he says again, more than a little concern passing over his face. "Remember what I told you before?" She manages to nod between hiccups— _You're not evil, Caroline_ —and he continues soothingly, "It's not _what_ you are that makes you evil, Care. It's _who_ you are and even more than that, it's _what you do_."

"But I've killed someone," she whispers and Dean does start in surprise at that. "I didn't mean to," she tells him pitifully. "I didn't know what I was doing, it was so much—" She hiccups again. "I don't wanna go to Hell, Sam." 

Dean slides over closer to where she's sitting on the couch and wraps one arm around her shoulders. "You're not going to Hell, Care, and you want to know how I know?" She blinks up at him, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes.

"I know because you're remorseful," he says and there's a quiet authority in his voice that reminds her simultaneously of John Winchester and Stefan Salvatore (before he decided he'd rather watch the world burn). "You have a conscience, Care, and trust me. That makes all the difference."

Her head drops onto Dean's shoulder and she feels him lay his cheek on her crown. The three of them sit like that for a while, with Sam at her feet, her hands wrapped tightly in his and Dean's arm around her.

 _God_ , she thinks, a little terrified at talking to something that seems so far removed from herself, _if You're the one who brought Dean back, then—you know, thanks._

She sits up after a while and says softly, "So what's going to happen now? Why did an angel pull you out? Is everything going down _here_?"

Dean and Sam exchange glances. "I'm supposed to fight on the angels' side," he says quietly.

For the second time in less than half an hour, Caroline wonders if vampires can faint, because she feels dangerously close to passing out. _Again_. Her insides are like ice. "Angels are on one side? B-but what can beat _angels_? What do you mean, you're _supposed_ to fight for them? And—and aren't angels the _good guys_?" Her voice pitches upward at the end of her rambling and she inhales to quash the hysterics that are threatening to rise. 

"We're not all that sure," Sam tells her and Dean scoffs as she stares at both of them in disbelief. He elaborates, "We think they're kind of like people—good intentions, bad way of doing things."

"Also selfish," Dean adds tartly, eyebrows knitting together.

"What's fighting on the other side?" she asks, afraid that she already knows the answer. If a massive battle between angels and demons is going down, they're going to need a hell of a lot more than some salt, a few Devil's Traps and Bonnie's grimoires. 

But Sam surprises her. "Everyone else," he says and her stomach drops through the floor.

When Caroline finds her voice, she can only stammer weakly. Dean stands up and starts pacing in front of the mantle.

"It's not just a war that's starting here, Care," he explains, his hand going to the back of his neck. "It's the Apocalypse."

 

... ... ... ...

Caroline has never been incredibly religious. She kind of believes in God, definitely more so after she had found out demons were real; because really if there's so much darkness that exists, there has to be an equal amount of light too. She likens it to the way Bonnie had explained witchcraft to her— _the balance of Nature_. Plus, she's a _vampire_. There's really not much she won't accept as being possible.

But the Apocalypse? She gets that being terrified of the world ending has become super trendy—hell, half her cheer squad takes the Mayan calendar seriously. She always rolls her eyes at them because _come on_. (And Elena had told her a while ago that apparently Elijah and Klaus were responsible for a bunch of fake ancient drawings, so who's to say they didn't make up a doomsday calendar just to screw with people? _Typical_.) 

But Dean and Sam are wearing similarly somber expressions, and she can't think of a good reason to doubt them or the angel that pulled Dean out of Hell.

"But why do _angels_ want to start the Apocalypse?" she demands tearfully. "I thought—they're in Heaven right? So don't they have it pretty good?"

"We're still figuring the 'why' part out," Dean sighs, propping his legs up on the coffee table. "Meanwhile, the Bible's become Sammy's new best friend. Pretty sure their game plan's all in there."

"There _is_ another option," Sam says cautiously and Dean shoots him a 'don't even go there' look, piquing Caroline's curiosity immediately.

"Oh come on!" she protests as Sam elects not to continue. "Don't we need all the help we can get?"

"The thing is," Sam says carefully, "This . . . person isn't exactly trustworthy."

Something about the way Sam lingers on the word 'person' makes Caroline's eyebrows slash together. "Who is it? Is it a _demon_?"

"Okay, look," Dean breaks in. "It's the angel that pulled me out of Hell."

Caroline's mouth drops open— _twice in one day, jeez_ , she thinks, a little shocked. "The one's whose handprint—you've _met_ him? Or her?" she adds as an afterthought.

" _His_ name is Castiel," Dean says, "and he seems less— _vengeance-y_ than the others we've met. But that doesn't mean he's on our side, or that anything he says is the truth."

Sam grumbles, "We should just _ask_ him—"

"And risk tipping off the Host of Heaven that I'm not exactly _keen_ on killing everyone I love? No thanks. Forget about asking Cas," Dean advises sardonically.

They fall into silence.

"So . . . what happens now?" Caroline finally asks uncertainly, looking from Sam to Dean and clasping her hands together to keep them from shaking.

"Well," Sam says, "Now we come up with a plan."

A plan. They have to come up with a plan to fight freaking _angels_ because they want to destroy the world.

"Why is this happening in Mystic Falls?" she wonders, fingers plucking at the loose strings of a sofa cushion.

"We've been trying to figure that out too," Sam says grimly and Caroline offers, "Maybe we're on a Hellmouth." Actually, that would explain _so much_.

The mood considerably lightened, Dean snickers and Sam says, "Yeah . . . we'll keep looking." 

 

... ... ... ... 

"Show me," Dean whines from his seat across from her in the booth. "I want to see it." He looks around and whispers conspiratorially, "Your vamp face." Caroline rolls her eyes at him. She's had Dean back less than three hours and they've already fallen back into older brother, little sister mode.

"It's gross and weird-looking," she tells him, shaking her head and popping a fry into her mouth. "And we're in public, so _no_." She's not about to vamp out at him in the middle of the Grill. "Idiot." She's missed him _so much_.

"Wimp," Dean retorts, leaning back in the booth and scowling at her. 

"Children," Sam scolds lightly, trying to steal a fry from Caroline's plate (she smacks his hand away) and raising his eyebrows at both of them. After dropping an Apocalypse in her lap, Dean had declared that he was hungry and ushered both of them into the Impala. _You just downed the entire rest of that cake_ , Sam had said in slight awe. _How are you hungry?_  

"Were you . . . surprised when Sam told you?" Caroline asks, then immediately feels stupid; because _of course_ he was surprised. People don't go around expecting their stepsisters to turn into immortal creatures of the night. Dean's smirking at her and she blushes a little. "You know what I mean."

He tilts his head at her and says slowly, "I wasn't happy about it, that's for sure."

"Makes two of us," she mutters and Sam raises his hand slightly, saying, "Three of us."

"But we've run into vampires on the road before," Dean continues seriously, "So I wasn't, ya know, worried about your _soul_ or any of that Buffy crap. Just . . . pissed someone killed you." There's a solemn silence before Dean brightens and winks at her. "Plus, I kind of wanted nieces and nephews and since Samantha here is like lady-repellant—" Sam throws a fry at him and Dean ducks. "Dude, that had _ketchup_ on it!"

Caroline is giggling a little into her Diet Coke when her phone starts buzzing, _Bonnie_ flashing across the screen. She pushes her hair away from her ear to answer, and says, "Hey Bon, what's up?"

Sam and Dean are arguing over dessert when she hangs up— _Seriously, Dean, you ate over half of Caroline's birthday cake, why do you need pie too? Dude, Sam, what do you have against_ pie _?_

"Hey," she says, waving her hand in between them. "Stuff's happening, we've got to go."

Once they're all piled in the Impala, Dean says, "So what's the big rush? Hair emergency? Boy problems?"

"Maybe, but I don't think so this time," Caroline says darkly under her breath, twisting her ring around her index finger.

"Probably vampire drama," Sam comments to him. "Lots and lots of vampire drama."

Dean waits a beat then says, "Dude, _come on_. One of you has to explain." Sam glances back at Caroline and gestures towards her.

She sighs and gives Dean a brief rundown of Stefan and Damon's eternal tug-of-war over girls who look like Katherine Pierce, of Original vampires whose angst gives fourteen-year-old girls a run for their money even as they spin tales of seeing the world; and when she finally stops, he says, "Holy crap. It's like supernatural _Gossip Girl_."

Sam snorts and says, "You would think that."

"Hey," Dean retorts. "I happen to be a connoisseur of fine television. Bitch."

"Jerk."

Caroline rolls her eyes even as her heart swells.

 

... ... ... ... 

 

Bonnie's sitting on the floor of the witches' house with her eyes shut, candles dotting every corner of the room and Emily Bennett's grimoire open in front of her.

"This is spooky," Dean stage whispers to Sam, and Bonnie opens her eyes.

"Hey, Caroline," she says warmly, her eyes sliding over to where Dean and Sam are hanging back. "Welcome back, Dean." Caroline starts in surprise.

"How did you know?"

Bonnie shrugs and gestures around her. "The witches," she says simply.

"Right," Caroline replies sheepishly, sitting down across from Bonnie. "The witches. So they decided to forgive you because you helped hide Klaus's coffins? High price, especially considering that plan failed spectacularly."

Bonnie smiles a little before saying, "I think we've got bigger problems than Klaus, Care." _No kidding_ , Caroline thinks. _Just another normal day in Mystic Falls, where our problems are bigger than yours_ —and she winces because she's inadvertently reminded herself of bunny hunting with Stefan and _I'm just thinking about how it's Tuesday_.

"Yeah, I know," Caroline responds wearily. Bonnie looks at her quizzically and Caroline says, "You first. I'd bet my college tuition that we're worried about the same thing." Bonnie laughs a little, but it's a forced sound and Caroline's worried.

"They want me to leave," Bonnie tells her, and the flames on her candles spiral up suddenly. _Dude_ , she hears Dean whisper; she had half-forgotten they were still there. "They keep saying 'revelations' over and over— _revelations, revelations_." She stops, biting her lip. "And I've been having these dreams."

"Witchy dreams?" Caroline wants to know shakily. Bonnie nods and Caroline's heart drops. 

"I'm in the middle of the town square, and there's all this _light_. So much light it hurts to keep looking," she says, and in her peripheral vision, Caroline sees Dean stiffen slightly. "Everything's destroyed or burning, and there's just . . . bodies. Bodies everywhere." Bonnie shuts her eyes tightly and the candle flames reach heights higher than Caroline's ever seen them. "There's . . . there's you, and Elena, and Matt, and _Jeremy_ . . . It looks like the end of the world, Care."

Caroline leans over and wraps her arms around Bonnie, pulling her close. Bonnie's head drops into where Caroline's neck and shoulder meet and she feels wetness. "Hey," she says firmly. "I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere. And Jeremy's got his ring and Elena's got Stefan and Damon, so we're all gonna be fine, Bon. _We're all going to be fine_." She's pretty sure Bonnie doesn't totally believe her (she's not sure she believes herself either) but whatever; her best friend is a wreck and Caroline's sure as hell going to do everything in her power (and in Sam and Dean's) to make sure the people she loves are safe. 

She doesn't let go and Bonnie doesn't pull away as Caroline says, keeping her voice warm and comforting, "Do the witches have any advice? Tips on avoidance?"

Bonnie's breath catches as she sits back, wiping at her eyes. "They haven't offered any, but I haven't asked either." 

"Okay," Caroline says, going into ' _I'm cheer squad captain and you'll do what I say_ ' mode. "So you ask them what to do if you decide to stay and ride this thing out. I mean they were super accommodating when Klaus was threatening to kill you, right? They seem pretty invested in your safety."

"Invested in the continuation of the Bennett line," Bonnie corrects her, a little bitterly. Caroline reaches over and takes Bonnie's hand.

"Well, _I'm_ invested in you safety," she says firmly, "And we're going to figure out how to make sure your dreams stay dreams." She motions for Dean and Sam to come over.

Bonnie surreptitiously wipes at her eyes again as Sam says kindly, "It's okay, Bonnie. We," he motions to himself and Dean, "kind of know what's going on."

When he's done explaining about angels and the Apocalypse and how the battle lines have basically already been drawn, Bonnie shudders. "I'll see what I can find out," she promises. "And if there's any way to stop it. Oh, and hey Care?"

Caroline stops mid-walk to the doorway. "We should probably fill in Matt and Elena," Bonnie advises. 

"Right," Caroline says slowly. "What about Stefan and Damon?" Bonnie scowls a little before nodding.

Caroline bites her lip before venturing, "What about—the Originals?"

The flames spike and she flinches backwards slightly. "It was just an idea; that's why I asked," she defends to the hundreds of dead witches she knows are listening. 

Bonnie shakes her head. "Only if we end up in the worst case scenario."

 

 

... ... ... ... 

"Elena!" she calls as she opens the front door to the Gilbert house, holding it open for Dean and Sam behind her. "Elena, where—" she jumps as she turns right into Damon. He leers down at her and she sees Sam glare at him next to her.

"Sup, Barbie?"

Elena, God bless her timing, saves Caroline from having to respond. "You're still here?" she says snippily to Damon as she comes down the stairs and pulls Caroline into the living room. Caroline's eyebrows go up, but whatever—it's not like she's concerned about _Damon's_ feelings.

When Elena stops, it's like she notices Sam and Dean for the first time. "Oh—hey, guys," she says uncertainly, turning back to Caroline. "You said it was an emergency," Elena prods her.

"Yeah, it is," Caroline says, glancing around. "Where are Alaric and Jeremy?" She lowers her voice, "And where's Stefan?"

Elena lists them off, "Ric's grading papers at his apartment, Jeremy's working at the Grill, and Stefan's—"

"Probably off doing something boring, like self-flagellating or bunny-hunting," Damon drawls, looking directly at Caroline when he says _bunny hunting_. "Should we _really_ be talking about this in front of strangers?" He moves to stand next to Elena and stares pointedly at the Winchesters. 

"You don't even know what _this_ is, and they're not strangers," Elena snaps, stepping away from him and closer to Caroline, who notices that Elena's going out of her way to not only _tell_ Damon what's what, but to physically elaborate. Tension is crackling between the two of them. "They're Sam and Dean."

"And they can help," Caroline adds, choosing to ignore the Damon-Elena weirdness for now. She'll ask Elena about it later. "They're hunters, like Alaric."

Dean's eyebrows shoot up and he gives Caroline a _look_. She shrugs, because really, once he mentioned the freaking Apocalypse was happening in her backyard, she's pretty sure all bets are off as far as keeping Sam and Dean's day jobs a secret is concerned.

Damon snorts and drops gracefully onto Elena's couch. Elena rolls her eyes at the back of his head and goes to sit next to him.

Caroline glances at Sam quickly, and begins carefully, "The witches started communicating with Bonnie again. Something really big is coming—big enough that Bonnie's ancestors warned her to get out of town."

"Spit it out, Barbie," Damon says and Sam crosses his arms over his chest and scowls at Damon.

Caroline has always sucked at breaking the news to people, so she grits her teeth and dives right in, "It's the Apocalypse, basically."

 

... ... ... ...

"So wait," Damon drawls slowly, pointing his glass filled with Ric's alcohol at Dean. "You were in Hell. And then you weren't. Because an _angel_ pulled you out. And now there's a huge, biblical war coming that's going to destroy everyone and Judgey's dead ancestors are screaming _flee_?" He stops to down another enormous gulp of scotch before continuing, "This has _got_ to be some kind of elaborate joke. I'm impressed Barbie, very well-played."

"It's not a joke," she shoots back. "You want to see the handprint that's burned on Dean's shoulder?" She gestures at Dean, who mumbles something about not being sideshow attraction, thank you very much.

Damon pauses and does his crazy-eye thing at her. "Kind of _gay_ don't you think?"

"You're vile," she informs him disgustedly and he smirks, quirking an eyebrow at her.

Elena's still very clearly processing everything as she says confusedly, "But . . . _angels_."

Caroline nods sympathetically. "Not the holy, watching-over-you guardians Sunday School promised."

"What could angels _possibly_ get out of an apocalypse?" Damon wonders idly. "Aren't they a little busy cloud-sitting and harp-playing?"

"You of all people should know that myth usually has nothing to do with reality," Caroline rebukes him. "Think less Cupid, more angry, avenging warriors with really big swords."

"And wings," Dean adds helpfully.

Damon mouths _wings_ before tipping back his glass and swallowing its contents. "So, Mouseketeers. Any brilliant ideas?"

"Bonnie's trying to get answers from the witches—" Caroline starts to say, and Damon murmurs darkly, " _Witches_." She glares at him before continuing, "And we're researching everything we can think of."

"I'm _so_ comforted," Damon says, toasting her with his empty glass. 

 

... ... ... ...

Liz's Sheriff's car isn't in the driveway when Dean parks the Impala on the street, but Caroline's hardly surprised. With an ancient vampire-werewolf hybrid who might be _actually insane_ and his lackeys running around, Caroline really counts herself lucky that she sees her mother at all these days.

"That Damon guy is a _dick_ ," Dean comments and then says, in what Caroline is pretty sure he thinks is a nonchalant tone, "Sammy mentioned that you and him…"

She opens her car door and gets out. "We 'dated.'" She makes finger quotes in the air, because compelled sex and serving as a one-stop, all-you-can-eat buffet isn't _dating_ , not even in the loosest sense of the word (but she keeps that to herself, because Damon would die for Elena, and he can't do that if Dean or Sam kills him). "But it wasn't real and it didn't last very long." She slams the door to the Impala shut and heads to the house.

Sam snorts, "Thank God," under his breath as they follow her up her front yard and she would glare at him if she didn't also thank God. Her hand rubs her neck unconsciously.

Dean thankfully doesn't continue to press her about Damon, but does continue, "So this Klaus guy—the guy that almost killed Bonnie. He saved your life—"

"He didn't _save_ my life," she corrects him, unlocking the front door and stepping inside. "He just . . . cleaned up his own mess."

Dean considers her as Sam walks around them into the kitchen. She hears the icemaker whirling and the cabinet doors being opened and shut. "Yeah, okay. But why do you think he did it?"

She shrugs. "I have no idea. Why does a psycho thousand year old vampire-hybrid do anything?"

Sam returns from the kitchen with a giant glass of—if Caroline isn't mistaken—Liz's best bourbon and says to Dean, "I still say we need to talk to Castiel."

"And _I_ still say that's a shit idea," Dean snaps back. "Cas may seem like he's not that bad, but when it comes down to us versus them? He's on their side, not ours."

"I think you're wrong," Sam retorts hotly. "Come on, Dean, he got demoted because of his _empathy_ towards us!"

"Wait, _what_?" Caroline demands. "You left this part out!"

"Because it doesn't matter," Dean mutters, pacing the front hallway. "In fact, it's more reason _not_ to talk to him. What if he's all pissy and wants to prove he's still stoic?" 

"I just can't see that happening," Sam says quietly, and light turns the bourbon in his glass a hazy gold.

"I told you—"

"I'm with Sam," Caroline interjects, "And it's two versus one, so—" 

" _The hell_ —this isn't a democracy, Caroline—"

"Look," she snaps, "I promised Bonnie nothing would happen to her, that nothing would happen to anyone we care about; and you said he _likes_ you two, so I'm not seeing the risk. It's not like we're laying out battle plans and asking his opinion. We're just asking for _elaboration_ on stuff he's already told you."

Dean's hands go up in capitulation and he says, "Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you two when this whole thing blows up in our faces."

Sam sends her a triumphant, conspiratorial glance. "We definitely won't." 

She waits before asking what's probably a question with an incredibly obvious answer that she's just not seeing. "How do you even, like, _summon_ an angel?"

"You pray," Sam says, looking at her, amused. 

She _knew_ it had to be obvious. "Do you think God hears vampire prayers?" she wonders distractedly as she takes her shoes off and heads to the sofa. 

"If God exists, then I'd say he hears vampire prayers," Dean says with a hint of annoyance still in his voice. He settles in next to her.

Caroline looks over at him, startled. "You _really_ don't think God exists? Even though angels clearly do?"

"M'not getting into this right now, Care," he warns, his hand going to his forehead.

She doesn't push it. "Okay, so praying." She looks between the two of them. "Is there like . . . anything specific we have to say or do we just—"

"Dean, Sam," a gravelly new voice says. "Caroline."

 

 

... ... ... ...

Caroline can't stop staring. She knows she's being rude, and even worse, _obvious_ , but she can't help it. Castiel is nothing like what she's pictured angels to look like (but she acknowledges that her limited imagination as far as angels are concerned is due to the giant illustrated Bible her grandmother had given to her when she was six—those angels were incredibly pale with long faces and fluffy hair). Castiel resembles those angels about as much as Caroline herself does. He's remarkably unremarkable.

Castiel seems entirely unperturbed by her staring—in fact, he seems entirely unperturbed by anything. Sam elbows her and she snaps out of it.

"Can I ask you something," she ventures and when Castiel turns his attention from Dean towards her, she shrinks back a little because it feels like he can see right into her soul. She doesn't wait for him to answer. "Am I damned?"

Castiel considers her, saying nothing for several moments. "I'm afraid that isn't up to me," he answers finally, and even though it's not the answer she was hoping for, it isn't _no_.

"Who is it up to?" she asks, but she's pretty sure she knows what he'll say. 

"The Lord," he says simply, and she swallows hard.

Sam changes the subject quickly. "Cas—we're just not too sure what the angels are getting out of the Apocalypse. What's the point?"

Dean grunts under breath, "Subtle, Sammy," from Caroline's elbow. 

"The point?" Castiel echoes, tilting his head at Sam. 

"Yeah, like . . . the _reason_ for it."

Castiel considers the three of them for long time before saying, "The Lord has been absent from Heaven for a long time now. Some of the Host of Heaven believe that if the Apocalypse is brought upon humanity, He will return." He sips the tea Caroline had made for him.

"Seriously?" she cries out, forgetting for a moment her fear and that this is an actual, real life angel in front of her. "The _Host_ of _Heaven_ is throwing a temper tantrum to get God's attention?" Dean snickers into his hand.

Castiel regards her calmly. "I suppose you could say that, yes," he agrees amicably. She gapes at him for a second before turning to Sam and saying, "Do _all_ supernatural creatures have daddy issues?"

"Yes," he answers, and she's pretty sure he's only half-joking. "But some normal, natural creatures do too," and he and Dean exchange glances.

 

... ... ... ...

Castiel must actually be fond of Sam and Dean, Caroline thinks, because he hasn't, like, swished away in a huge ball of light yet and it's not like any of the three of them are going out of their way to entertain him. Sam confides to her that apparently humans fascinate Castiel, and Dean might actually be his best friend. Which Caroline supposes is kind of sweet, in a weird, what-are-our-lives kind of way. 

When Castiel's been with them for two days, she comes home from school to find a wrapped box sitting on the kitchen counter waiting for her. On top of the box there is a thick envelope with her name written in elegant script on the front.

Dean is staring at the box like it might bite him if he gets too close and Sam is sitting at the kitchen table with his computer in front of him, eying it suspiciously from afar.

"What do you think is in it?" Dean asks as Caroline traces her name on the envelope before opening it.

She scans the thick, cream-colored card and says, slightly in awe at the sheer brazenness of it, "They're throwing a ball. The Originals are throwing a _ball._ "

From his spot at the kitchen table, Sam points out, "There's something written on the back." She flips it over and reads aloud, " _Save me a dance. Fondly, Klaus_."

"No," Dean says immediately, taking the invitation from her and glaring at it. "No, no, nope, that is _not_ happening. And what kind of name is _Mikaelson_?"

Castiel is watching the entire scene unfold with such a fascinated expression on his face that Caroline would laugh if she wasn't still slightly afraid of him.

"Son of Mikael," Sam informs him, and before she can lecture Dean on the marvels of modern feminism and how she can take care of herself, her phone buzzes and Elena says in her ear, "Did you get an invitation to the Originals' ball?"

"Yeah," she confirms, snatching the invitation back from Dean. "A _ball_. Freaking medieval. Too bad it's on Saturday instead of Friday, though. Can't use the football game as an excuse not to go."

Elena laughs a little then says, "Stefan and Damon pitched a fit. Elijah wants to talk to me when I go—" and Caroline hears Damon holler in the background, _You're not going!_ Elena ignores him and continues as though she wasn't interrupted at all, "Since Damon and Stefan _aren't invited_ —" she can see Elena in her head fixing both Salvatores with a glare as she emphasizes this, "want to be dates?"

Caroline brightens immediately and says in an exaggerated Southern drawl, "Why, Miss Gilbert, I do de _clare_!" She giggles then says, "Yeah, sounds good to me. Hey, did your invitation come with anything?" 

"Nope," Elena says. "Hey, Care, Jeremy's calling me. Talk to you soon, okay?"

"Yeah," she says, hanging up and running her index finger down the ribbon on the box. "Elena's going," she comments absently and Dean makes a face.

"How nice for Elena. You're not."

She rolls her eyes. "Think that's a good idea? Pissing off a volatile vampire-werewolf hybrid?"

"I think you should go," Sam pipes up and Dean says furiously, "No one asked you, Sammy."

"No one asked _you_ , Dean," Sam retorts. "I think you should go and make nice with them. Keeps the peace, and it's one less thing to worry about."

Makes sense to her, so Caroline nods in agreement and before Dean can say anything, she pulls the top off the box.

"Holy crap," Dean says, clearly forgetting his argument as they both peer at the brilliant blue gown lying neatly folded at the bottom.

Caroline stares at it, mesmerized. She's never owned anything this nice, not even the dress she won Miss Mystic Falls in. 

"Creepy Cinderella fetish," she hears Dean gripe and despite the loveliness of the dress, she's afraid she has to agree.

 

... ... ... ...

She bans Dean and Sam (mostly Dean) from the Mikaelson ball, and Sam tells her not to worry, he'll keep Dean away. Dean growls something unintelligible and Castiel, who still hasn't left (but she minds less and less because she's pretty sure Sam's right about him), looks at him as though Dean is a very interesting specimen under a microscope. Which to an angel, she supposes he is.

Elena honks her horn from the street and Caroline picks up her glittery shawl that Castiel is almost entranced by and says, once more for emphasis, "Do _not_ crash this thing, Dean. Don't do it." He rolls his eyes at her and shoos her out the door.

"Nice dress," Elena comments appreciatively. "Is that a _diamond_ bracelet, Care?" Elena's eyes are wide as she stares at Caroline's wrist.

"Sam and Dean went in on it together," she lies smoothly. She honestly has no idea why she was wearing the stupid thing—fine, that's a lie. It's beautiful and sparkly and it isn't the bracelet's fault _Klaus_ gave it to her.

"Game plan," Elena says as she turns her car onto the long driveway that leads up to the Mikaelson house.

"Schmooze, dance, _drink_ , play nice while you talk to Elijah, leave in one piece," Caroline recites, fiddling with her seat belt. Elena nods and adds, "And don't get out of each other's sight for very long."

Caroline thinks back to the invitation— _Save me a dance_ —and agrees fervently.

Elena pulls up to a giant, sprawling house— _mansion_ , Caroline corrects herself. The Mikaelson mansion dwarfs even the Lockwood house, which is no easy feat. A valet takes Elena's car keys, and when Elena comes to stand next to Caroline, they both simply gape up at the house. There's a _fountain_ behind them.

"Jeez," Elena breathes, awestruck.

Caroline almost sighs _yeah_ in agreement but catches herself and wonders instead, "Think they're overcompensating for something?" 

Elena laughs and holds out her arm. "Shall we, Miss Forbes?"

Caroline smiles back and links her arm with Elena's. "Let's, Miss Gilbert."

 

... ... ... ...

"I'm pleased you could make it," Klaus says low into her ear, and Caroline stiffens, glancing around for Elena. She relaxes a fraction when she sees the other girl in deep conversation with Elijah and replies frostily, "You say that as if I had a choice."

He holds out a glass of champagne and she takes it because at this moment, she'd rather have alcohol than pride. "Of course you had a choice," he says and he sounds just as offended as he did on her birthday when she asked if he was going to kill her. 

She snorts a little and says, "Right," then winces internally because the whole point of even coming to this stupid ball was to _not_ piss him off. She sneaks a subtle glance up at him and relaxes a fraction more when he seems more amused than murderous.

Elijah's voice floats down from the extravagant staircase next to where she and Klaus are standing; as Klaus excuses himself and goes to stand with the rest of the Original family, Elena slips over.

Caroline opens her mouth to ask Elena about Elijah, but Elena puts a finger to her mouth and points discreetly at the staircase. Caroline turns and they're all standing there. Four brothers, one sister—her eyes narrow in dislike at Rebekah, who smirks back at her.

"What a good-looking family," someone behind her murmurs appreciatively and Caroline has to concentrate to keep her eyes from rolling right out of their sockets.

". . . So please join us in the ballroom," Elijah finishes, and Caroline realizes she tuned out his entire speech.

Before she can turn to tell Elena they need to speed up the game plan because she really doesn't want to spend her Saturday night here (especially when she has a recently resurrected stepbrother teaching an _angel_ how to play poker at her kitchen table), Klaus is back at her side and Elena is gone.

He offers her his arm but doesn't say anything; only looks intently at her and he might have the darkest eyes she's ever seen that still manage to stay blue. She grinds her teeth together and takes his arm. _Play nice, play nice, play nice_ , she chants internally.

The opening notes of a waltz start up and she takes a moment to silently thank Miranda Gilbert for insisting Elena enroll in cotillion, thereby ensuring that she and Bonnie enrolled as well. Reminded of their mission, Caroline tries to covertly find Elena in the crowded ballroom, but all the Originals are present, which means it's less likely someone's gnawing on her friend's neck in a dark corner. Satisfied, she turns her focus back to the dance steps.

Klaus isn't saying anything and it's really creeping her out; before she can stop herself, she says, "Why'd you invite me here if you aren't even going to talk to me?" As soon as the words leave her mouth, she wishes she could call them back— _stupid brain to mouth non-filter_.

His mouth twitches upward and he's definitely amused by her, which is probably the best reaction, considering. "What would you like to talk about?"

She shakes her head at him and says, frustrated, " _You_ invited _me_ , buster." He's definitely smiling now, and of course he has dimples. 

"Fine," Klaus says genially. "How is your mother?"

Caroline stiffens, trying to discern if there's a threat hidden in there somewhere and he notices. "Ah," he says quietly, some of the amusement slipping away. "On to less personal topics, then? Like how ravishing you look in that dress."

She feels herself blushing and swears internally. "Ravishing, really?" she says, trying her best to sound flippant. "I think you've been reading too many romance novels." 

He smirks down at her, and she's momentarily distracted by how different he looks when he's not snarling about how he's going to burn down the entire town. But before she can analyze that to death, she sees Damon and Stefan Salvatore out of the corner of her eye and she groans. 

"Problem?" he asks languidly, and she wonders if he's got some sort of magnetic pull because once she meets his eyes she can barely force herself to look away. She swallows and she knows he notices.

"Stefan and Damon just walked in," she says, glancing over to the ballroom entrance. "Idiots," she adds under breath, shaking her head. The look on his face invites her to go on, so she says, "Elena told them not to come, but _of course_ they think they can take better care of her than she can. So," she shrugs as he spins her slowly, "Idiots."

"And your two young men aren't here," he remarks casually, and her heart almost stops. 

"Excuse me?" she demands, her hands clenching down on his. "Are you _stalking_ me?"

He doesn't even look bothered by her accusation. "Of course not," he says easily as they circle around Rebekah and her date, some guy from the football team who Caroline thinks she may have dated for like a second in ninth grade.

"Rebekah saw you at the Grill," he says and she scowls at him.

"Yeah, well, first of all, your sister wants to take over my life, and it's annoying," she informs him tartly, not caring that Rebekah can hear her. He laughs at that, and she thinks, maybe if he wasn't such a horrible person, he could be kind of hot. "And second, those are my _stepbrothers_. God."

"Good to know," he says quietly, and there's something about the way he says that tugs at her stomach.

The waltz ends and he bows slightly to her; she returns it with the quickest curtsy she's ever done and zips off to find Elena.

"Barbie," Damon hisses, snatching her arm and pulling her into a corner. "Where the _hell_ is Elena?" Stefan's glowering at her— _nice time to decide to care, Stefan_ , she thinks viciously—and she wrenches herself out of Damon's grasp.

"She's a big girl, Damon," Caroline snaps. "Maybe if you treated her like a grown-up, she'd like you better." It's a low blow but she doesn't care.

Damon snarls back at her and Stefan says calmly, "Maybe if she didn't act like a child—"

" _What_ are you two doing here?" Elena whisper-shrieks, appearing at Caroline's side out of nowhere.

"Taking you home," Damon informs her, and Elena takes hold of Caroline's arm tightly.

"I don't think so," she shoots back and Caroline feels like she's in the middle of a Mexican standoff because she's pretty sure Damon has no problem ripping her arm off at the socket and throwing Elena over his shoulder.

"Is there a problem?" a new voice says, and Elena relaxes into Caroline before letting go of her and taking Elijah's arm instead.

"Stefan and Damon were _just leaving_ ," Elena says, narrowing her eyes at them. The look on Damon's face is positively _bloodthirsty_ and Caroline slips away because if anyone can handle _that_ mess, it's Elijah.

She's tiptoeing down an empty corridor when she spies a room with no door and walks inside of it.

There's massive paintings hanging on the walls and she frowns as she recognizes some of them. She mentally adds _art thieves_ under the long list of Original crimes as she stares up at a particularly colorful canvas.

"That painting," Klaus says from behind her; she's silently grateful when she doesn't jump, "has been shown in some of the most famous art galleries in the world."

She doesn't look at him. "Impressive," she says. "Did you buy it or did you compel your way to it?"

"That one, I bought. I tend to not use compulsion when I know I can get what I want," he says and she flushes, not missing the double meaning. She looks down, anywhere but at him, and sees pieces of paper with sketches on them littering the table in front of her. Caroline suddenly feels very shy as she asks, "Are these yours?"

He follows her eyes and his hand goes up to the back of his neck. She blinks in surprise. Is he _embarrassed_? "It's a hobby," he says ruefully. She forces her heart to harden because this is _Klaus_ and he's tormented them for _months_. 

"Elena's brother Jeremy draws," she tells him quietly. "So does Tyler." He stiffens slightly and she continues, her voice dropping several degrees in temperature. "But you wouldn't know that, would you? We're all just—just ants to you." She shakes her head a little and drops her gaze back down to the sketches. 

"Am I supposed to apologize for trying to get what I want?" he demands and the air around them has shifted from amicable to tense. Caroline pushes a piece of escaped hair behind her ear.

"If what you want hurts people, then yeah," she says, looking him right in the eyes. "You aren't more important than everyone else." His eyes flash and she summons up all her courage to continue, voice soft, "Your happiness doesn't trump everyone else's." She straightens her back, gently unclasps the diamond bracelet on her wrist and holds it out to him. "I appreciate the gesture, but I can't accept this."

"It was a gift," he snaps and she's more than a little scared of him as, once it's clear he won't take it back, she lays it down on top of a sketch. Every instinct she has is screaming at her to run, but she forces herself to stay perfectly serene. Externally, anyway.

"It's beautiful," she tells him as she turns to head to the door. "But I'm afraid I can't be bought."

 

 

... ... ... ...

 After searching desperately, she finally finds Elena in the bathroom, dabbing at her eyes. 

"What happened?" Caroline exclaims, wrapping her arms around her friend.

"Just—they're so _annoying_ , Care," she says, voice cracking. "I'm not _stupid_ , I'm not going to sell my soul to _Elijah_ and they act like they're in charge of my _life_!"

Caroline strokes Elena's hair for a minute before announcing, "Okay, that's it," and taking Elena's small clutch, digging out the valet stub. "We're leaving."

 

... ... ... ...

"How was the ball, _princess_?" Dean calls out mockingly as she opens the front door. She sighs, kicks her shoes off and tosses her shawl on the table by the door. Castiel's eyes follow the shawl as it floats to rest on top of the plate her mother tosses spare change into.

"Eventful," she says with a sigh, fingers already working at the back of the dress. She is _so_ ready for pajamas.

Sam is coming out of his room when he sees her. "Hey!" he says eagerly. "How'd it go?"

"Fine, I guess," she mumbles going into her room. Sam follows her, frowning a little.

"Did something happen?" he wants to know and she's about to turn to tell him that she just really wants wash her face and to go to sleep when she spots a small box on her bed.

" _Seriously?_ " she snaps, snatching it up and opening it. Sam leans over her shoulder; and she swats at him, mumbling, "Nosy much?"

There's a rolled up slip of paper—"Weird thing to put in a box," Sam remarks—and when she unfurls it, she feels a familiar pull in her stomach.

It's a sketch, but it's _her_ , and even though she's got a glass held up to her mouth, she's laughing at something and there's this light in her eyes that makes her wonder if this is how he sees her.

Scrawled at the bottom is: _Thank you for your honesty. Klaus._

"Oh shit," Sam says softly.

 

 

... ... ... ... 

**tbc.**

 


	3. two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Not mine, etc. Title is from the wonderful and fabulous band Explosions in the Sky. Go on, have a listen.
> 
> Still AU

  **the birth and death of the day**

 

**2.**

 

"You'd think that after a thousand years, his game would be better," Dean comments dryly through a mouthful of macaroni and cheese. At Caroline's questioning look, he motions to the drawing sitting on the kitchen counter. She rolls her eyes at him and takes a dainty bite of her own pasta.

"Game?" Castiel echoes, looking from Dean to Caroline curiously.

"Yeah, _game_. You know, like…" Dean waves his hands and says, "Like dating." Castiel's face remains blank. Dean tries again, "You know, relationships? Going out? _Wooing?_ "

Castiel blinks, and then offers thoughtfully, "Seduction?" Dean chokes on the food he'd been swallowing.

"Better not be any freaking _seduction_ going on," he mutters threateningly after clearing his throat. He shoots a stern look at Caroline, who straightens and says primly, "As _if_."

"I dunno, I kind of like it," Sam says, picking the drawing up as he goes for his second round of mac and cheese. He studies it for a second, then tacks it on the fridge with Liz's Jefferson Memorial magnet. "It's like old-school romance, or something."

"You would like it, Sammy," Dean grumbles, his tone a blend of affection and irritation. "It's totally up your ally."

Caroline snorts as she stands up, grabbing Castiel's empty bowl along with her own and spooning more food into both of them. "It's creepy, is what it is." She hands Castiel his bowl back as she returns to her seat across from Dean. "He left it on my _bed_. Kind of disturbing."

"Hella weird," Dean confirms, and he points at her with his fork. "Think he orchestrated that whole hybrid bite thing as part of some Superman, swoop in and save the day, hero fantasy?"

Caroline freezes mid-chew and gapes at him, eyes wide. "Well, _now_ I do!" she cries. "God, now it's even _creepier_! Thanks a lot!"

"You seem upset," Castiel remarks, eyes focused on her. "These aren't appropriate seduction methods?"

"Again with the _seduction_ thing _—_ don't you have a garrison to be ordering around or something? You know, _in Heaven_?" Dean demands, head dropping into his hands exasperatedly.

Castiel looks down. When Caroline sees the expression on his face, she forgets her fear and instinctively puts her hand on his arm, patting gently. She looks over for help at Sam, who seems slightly alarmed.

"Cas?" he begins concernedly. "Is everything…you know, _okay_ between you and the angels?"

Dean's head snaps up and when Castiel is silent, he says in disbelief, "Say _what_? Did they _kick you out_?" If Castiel didn't look so tragic, Caroline would have giggled at the offended outrage in Dean's voice.

"My…association with the two of you—and now you, Caroline," Castiel adds and she blushes a little, "has been determined to be a liability. I was removed from my post."

The three of them exchange glances and Caroline's pretty sure the same realization that's dawning on Sam and Dean's faces is crossing over hers as well. None of them had given much thought as to why Castiel has stuck around for so long—Caroline had even been warming up to him (or at least not cringing every time she met his eyes in fear that her soul was about to go up in flames). She had just figured their constant bickering and sibling in-fighting amused him, like an Animal Planet TV show for angels. _Poor guy_ , she thinks sympathetically, her chin dropping into the palm of her hand.

"Screw 'em, buddy," Dean says, clapping Castiel on the shoulder. "Welcome to Team Human." Caroline makes a noise of affronted protest and holds her arms out, gesturing to herself. "Fine," Dean groans, hands going up in defeat. "Team _Earth_. That PC enough for you, Care?"

"Better," she allows.

"The Host won't like that," Castiel states gravely and Dean grimaces. "Yeah, well. Those douchebags stopped getting a say when they kicked you to the damn curb."

... ... ... ... 

"Do you think this means we can, like, _really_ talk to him about everything?" Caroline whispers to Dean as she hands him a clean bowl to towel dry. Sam is explaining the finer points of _The Bachelor_ to Castiel in the living room and Dean leans back to make sure he's adequately distracted.

"Probably," he replies, voice low as he puts the bowl in the cupboard above the sink. "But I still say we should hedge our bets a few more days. Safer than sorry, and all that crap."

"Maybe we should, like, _ease_ into asking about how to have a fighting shot," she suggests. "You know, start off slow and if he gets weird or something…then we'll know he's like a super secret double agent." Dean snorts a little, but bumps her lightly with his shoulder.

"But I don't understand," they hear Castiel say to Sam as Caroline hands Dean the last bowl to dry. She wipes her hands on her jeans and goes into the living room, sitting down next to Sam. "Why do those women want _him_?"

"Because he's The Bachelor," Sam says patiently. "That's kind of the whole point."

Castiel frowns at the TV screen. "But—"

Dean enters and holds up a hand. "Don't even try to understand it, Cas. You'll pull a muscle trying to wrap your brain around it." He reaches for the remote and hits the power button.

"Why was he giving that woman a rose?" Castiel wants to know as the screen goes black.

"Caroline'll explain later," Dean promises, and Caroline sends him an _oh will I?_ look. "I don't even watch _The Bachelor_ ," she points out crossly. "Sexist."

"Okay, fine, whatever," Dean says impatiently. "Cas, we need to talk."

Sam sits up alertly as Castiel tilts his head expectantly. "What do we need to talk about?"

Meeting Dean's eyes, Sam turns so that he's facing Castiel and says slowly, "It's about the Apocalypse."

No one says anything for a few long seconds until Caroline bursts out, " _Why_ is it happening in Mystic Falls?"

Castiel looks over at her, surprised. "You don't know how full of darkness your town is?" he asks grimly.

She bristles a little and says, "I mean, I know it's got weirder problems than other places, but it's not _so_ bad."

"This town attracts the unnatural," Castiel says, eyes intense on hers. "Vampires, werewolves, demons—they are all drawn here."

Okay, Caroline can definitely buy that—Katherine and the tomb vampires in 1864; Stefan, Damon, and that horrible Sage woman in 1912; Stefan again in the 1960s and then _now_ ; Elena; the Bennett witches; and the Lockwood family. The puzzle pieces fall easily into place. "But why though?"

He turns his gaze back to the blank television screen. "A thousand years ago, there was a spell cast here; a spell so dark that it cursed the very ground," he says, deep voice quiet and eyes slightly unfocused; _we really_ are _on a Hellmouth_ , Caroline thinks, awestruck. "It still reverberates to this day, drawing supernatural creatures like a magnet."

 _A thousand years_ —"Hang on a second," she breathes. "You're talking about—"

He looks at her sharply. "The spell that created the vampire race, yes."

It's so quiet that Caroline can hear her next-door neighbors discussing the intricacies of stock trading with perfect clarity, until Sam says hoarsely, " _What_?"

"Vampirism was created by a spell," Castiel tells him. "A spell that called not only for human sacrifice, but also the death of those turning. It created a race of beings that feeds on the blood of others to survive. Magic that great and terrible marks the place as it does the witch. It is very dark and _very_ powerful."

Elena had told her the bare details of the Originals' background—like how their mother had used the blood of the girl Klaus and Elijah both loved to bind the spell together and how it's _her_ face that Elena and Katherine share. But Caroline's pretty sure Rebekah failed to mention _this_.

"So the Host of Heaven's plan is to come here and pick a fight?" Sam asks incredulously, eyebrows furrowed.

"Kill enough supernatural beings and all their buddies come running for revenge," Dean says slowly. "But then what? Move on to the next place and watch every human get caught in the crossfire until there's nowhere left to go?"

"Of course not," Castiel says, head tilting at them as though they are all children (which, Caroline supposes, they probably are— _Klaus_ is a child when compared to him). "That would take far too long. Once the battle of Mystic Falls is won, they will release Lucifer."

... ... ... ...

The giant illustrated Bible Caroline's grandmother had given to her when she was little (the same one that had shown angels as soft protectors with affectionate smiles) had portrayed the devil in the most concrete and obvious of ways—red all over, horns, pointy tail, pitchfork, with great black eyes and surrounded by fire.

When she still went to Sunday school, one of her teachers had collected the class's coloring assignment of the scene where Jesus is tempted by the (red, horned, pointy tailed) devil and had studied it before she said, _That wouldn't work very well for temptation, now would it?_ The class had blinked up at her and she had explained in a kind voice, _Only beautiful things are tempting._

Caroline can see Sam's mouth moving but she can't hear the words over the roaring in her ears. _How are we supposed to even_ survive _this,_ she wonders desperately. First angels, now Lucifer? Her heart is beating so fast that if she were still alive, she would worry she was having a heart attack.

She focuses on Sam's voice asking Castiel, "But that doesn't make any sense, Cas. The Host plans to kill a bunch of demons to set Lucifer free on earth…where he'll make more demons?"

Castiel blinks at him and says calmly, "The purpose of the battle of Mystic Falls will be to eliminate non-demonic creatures: werewolves, witches, vampires—there are of course many others, but those seem to be the main species that concern you. If demons get in the way, they will be killed, but they are not the target."

Caroline's head is spinning, Sam's face has lost all color, and Dean is gripping the sides of his chair so hard his knuckles are turning bone white.

"How're we even supposed to fight this thing?" she whispers scratchily; she's thinking back to her birthday, when she had been so bitter about Elena, Bonnie, Jeremy and Matt getting to lead normal lives together—her insides knot together tightly. She'd give _anything_ now to ensure that their lives aren't snatched from them as hers was.

She's so lost in desperate, terrified imaginings of a horrible and bleak future that she almost misses what Castiel says next.

"I'm going to help you."

... ... ... ...

She drives straight to Bonnie's, ordering Elena to drop whatever she's doing and meet her there, _now_. She is taking zero chances that any unwanted vampires walk in on this conversation and tells Bonnie to light up some sage for a silencing spell just in case anyone's lurking around.

"You're really scaring me," Bonnie says worriedly as Elena enters her bedroom, gently fanning the smoke from the burning sage. "What's happened?"

"Something really bad," Caroline blurts out tearfully, her words coming out in short bursts as she tries unsuccessfully to hold the hysterics at bay. "The spell that turned the Originals—it cursed Mystic Falls—and the angels—they want to slaughter as many supernatural beings as possible—and then they're—they're gonna release _Lucifer_ to—to finish everyone else off—" She cuts herself off, hands going to her mouth, as if by stopping the torrent of words, they will cease to be true.

Elena and Bonnie gape at her, until Bonnie says unsteadily, "I think I might be sick."

"Oh my _God_ ," Elena moans, head dropping into her hands. "What—what are we supposed to _do_? We can't fight this!"

Caroline swallows hard and says through erratic breaths, "Castiel—the angel that pulled Dean out of Hell—the other angels kicked him out and he says he's going to help—"

"We need to get everyone out of Mystic Falls," Bonnie breaks in forcefully, grabbing Emily Bennett's grimoire out from one of her dresser drawers, where it had been resting underneath a pile of t-shirts. "Everyone normal, we have to find a way to make them leave town." She starts flipping through yellowing pages with almost terrifying ferocity.

"We have to get Klaus's hybrids back," Elena adds in a whisper as she stands and starts to pace. "We have to get them back and that means we have to tell the Originals about all of this."

Silence falls as the air around them crackles with fear and adrenaline. Bonnie stops rifling through the grimoire and Elena looks up at the ceiling in desperation. Caroline is staring blankly at Bonnie's headboard.

"This does qualify as a worst case scenario," Bonnie says softly.

"I'll do it," Caroline volunteers quietly, her mind drifting back to the sketch Sam had hung on their fridge. _Thank you for your honesty._

"No," Elena says immediately and Bonnie agrees fervently, "No one is walking into that lion's den alone. Get your stuff."

... ... ... ...

 

Caroline's fingers are tapping the wheel in a jittery rhythm as her car makes its way down the long and winding Mikaelson driveway; Elena reaches over and puts her hand over Caroline's. "It's gonna be fine," she says, voice soothing. 

"Right. Fine," Caroline echoes, trying to convince herself of just that. She doesn't even want to think about what Sam and Dean's reactions to this will be. "Are we sure this is a good idea?"

"Strength in numbers," Elena says, staring out the window as the Mikaelson mansion looms in front of them ominously. "The more help we have on our side, the better our odds get."

"But this seems like we're playing right into the angels' plans," Caroline protests worriedly, parking the car next to that ridiculous fountain (because seriously, who needs a giant fountain in their front yard?). "The whole point of starting the Apocalypse in Mystic Falls is because it like naturally lures supernatural stuff here—and the angels want to _kill_ them." _Us_ , she amends silently.

"It's a risk we have to take," Bonnie says firmly as they get out of Caroline's car. "If we're going to have any kind of fighting chance, we need more than just us, Stefan and Damon, Dean and Sam and one wayward angel." Caroline notices the distinct lack of Jeremy and Alaric in her statement; and she has to agree with that, especially where Jeremy is concerned. She bites her lip and when she catches Bonnie's eye, she tilts her head subtly in Elena's direction. Bonnie's mouth hardens into a straight line and she nods once. Elena is far too breakable to stick around for this.

"Everyone ready?" Elena asks, turning to them before reaching for the doorbell. She hesitates briefly, and then presses it. It chimes loudly behind the door and Caroline holds her breath until it opens.

It's Elijah and he masks his surprise like a pro. "Ladies," he says genially, stepping aside and holding his hand out. "What a pleasant surprise."

"This isn't a social call," Bonnie informs him coldly, swishing by him in dislike. Elena manages to smile at him faintly and Caroline just sort of bobs her head in lieu of a greeting as he closes the door behind them.

"Is it just you?" Elena asks, glancing around the ornate front hall.

"Niklaus is here somewhere," Elijah tells her courteously, "but Rebekah and Kol are out for the night and Finn is on a trip out of town. Please, make yourselves comfortable in the living room." He pauses as he leads them into the richly decorated living room, which looks way too expensive to Caroline for it to be really livable. She feels Elijah's gaze pass over her face before he says inquiringly, "Shall I get Niklaus, then?"

All three of them stiffen simultaneously in their already rigidly postured seats and exchange looks. "Yes," Elena confirms, turning her face back to Elijah. "You should probably get him too."

Elijah vanishes into the depths of the house; as soon as he is gone, Bonnie lets out a giant _whoosh_ of air. "I hate this," she mutters, wrapping her arms around herself and shuddering.

"Lesser of two evils," Elena reminds her.

"Oh come now, Elena darling," Klaus says pleasantly, appearing out of nowhere, glass in hand and Elijah next to him. "Surely we aren't all that terrible."

"Actually," Elena snaps back, crossing her arms, voice matching Bonnie's for chilliness, "You are. But we have a bigger problem right now."

"And what might that be?" he asks easily, swirling what Caroline has no doubt is blood around in his crystal glass. Elena glances at Caroline who swallows hard before she takes over, saying simply, eyes downcast, "The Apocalypse." She winces as her voice trembles slightly and Elena wraps her hand around Caroline's.

"I can assure you, the Apocalypse is nothing more than a myth," Elijah tells her dismissively, and she bristles at the condescension in his voice.

"Tell that to the _angel_ who's been sleeping on my couch for the past week," she snaps at him irritably, briefly forgetting that this is Elijah—an ancient vampire who can turn pennies into missiles with a flick of his wrist.

"And the witches confirmed it," Bonnie adds sharply. "This isn't a joke. It's the _Apocalypse_."

Klaus's face has gone entirely serious and Elijah is considering them intently.

"I think," he says slowly, "You had better start from the beginning."

Caroline _so_ does not want to spill her life's story to arguably the two scariest Originals, but four pairs of eyes are focused on her so she searches for the most succinct summary possible.

"My stepbrother Dean d-died a few months ago," she begins, tripping slightly over the word _died_. Klaus's eyebrows slash together. "An angel pulled him out of Hell and Castiel—the angel who saved him—told him about the Apocalypse. The Host of Heaven wants to set _Lucifer_ on the world."

"Why are you telling us this?" Klaus demands, eyes focused intently on hers; but it's Elena who responds.

"We want you to bring your hybrids back," she informs him. "But _just_ until this is over," she adds fiercely. "Afterwards, they're gone."

Klaus sends a smirk Elena's way, making Caroline flinch inwardly because she really wishes he had never shown her at the ball that he could be a halfway normal person; she's pretty sure now he'll always disappoint her—and says silkily, "I'd be more than happy to oblige, sweetheart, but that's something you'll have to take up with your boyfriend."

Elena seethes at him and says bitingly, "I'll take care of Stefan. Just bring them back."

Klaus raises his glass slightly in her direction. "Your wish is my command."

Elijah's hands are in his pockets as he asks contemplatively, "Is there anything specific you'd like for us to do?"

Caroline blinks at him in surprise. "Um," she says intelligently, looking at Bonnie for help. "Research? You've got to have tons of contacts that might be able to help, right?"

"I'll make some calls," he says, inclining his head at them as he slips away silently 

"Who else knows about this?" Klaus wants to know, setting his glass on the elaborate mantle above the fireplace.

Caroline ticks the names off on her fingers, "The three of us, Dean and Sam, Castiel, my mom, Damon—and I guess Damon told Stefan?" She shoots Elena a questioning look for confirmation; when Elena nods back, she finishes, "And now the two of you."

"Good," he approves shortly. "Let's try and keep this under wraps then, shall we, girls?"

Bonnie and Elena send him matching scowls and Caroline just shakes her head.

... ... ... ... 

"You did _what_?" Dean nearly bellows and Castiel looks at him, alarmed.

"Look," Caroline says, flipping the stove on and settling Liz's electric blue teakettle onto a burner. "It was inevitable, okay? And Bonnie had a point—we need help. It can't just be us five, plus Damon and Stefan. That wouldn't be a war, it'd be a slaughter." She leaves Liz out of the equation because her mother will _not_ be participating, even if Caroline has to compel her herself.

Dean opens his mouth, presumably for more yelling, when Sam says tiredly, "She's probably right, Dean. We can't do this by ourselves."

"We're not by ourselves," he retorts, gesturing at Castiel. "We've got our own set of wings!"

"It is probably for the best," Castiel says nonchalantly and the betrayed look Dean shoots at him is almost comical.

Seeing his support dwindle, he switches tactics. "I can't believe you went there by yourself," he gripes at her.

"I wasn't by myself," she informs him. "Elena and Bonnie went too."

"Because that's _so_ much better."

"Dean," she says exasperatedly as the kettle starts to hum lowly. "They've got a thousand years worth of experience and contacts. They can _help_ us. No one's asking you to hold their hands and invite them to a sleepover. Besides," she pulls out a box of teabags and picks out four, "Elijah's way too honorable to let Klaus hold me hostage in their house."

Dean's jaw works. "I'm telling Liz about this," he threatens, and she knows he's out of arguments.

"Go ahead," she tells him as she pulls mugs out of the cabinet. The humming of the teakettle increases in pitch. "She's the one who invited Klaus in to begin with."

... ... ... ... 

 

"Few things can kill an angel," Castiel tells them gravely as they stand in the backyard, a variety of weapons scattered around their feet. Caroline is sitting cross-legged with a legal pad resting on one knee; she's taking it upon herself to scribble down anything Elijah and Klaus might be able to help get a hold of. Castiel shows them a long dagger and says, "This called an Angel Killing Sword." Caroline writes neatly on the first line: _angel-killing sword_.

Dean snorts. "Kind of literal, don't you think?"

Castiel looks at him bemusedly. "Of course it's literal." Caroline giggles a little and writes in parentheses: _(actual name)_. Dean rolls his eyes and waves his hand for Castiel to continue.

"Most angels carry one," he says, handing it to Sam. "But humans may use them as well, if they can find them."

"Wouldn't an angel have to had lost a fight with someone in order for a human to get their hands on one of these?" Sam asks logically, passing the sword on to Dean.

"Yes," Castiel confirms. "That is why they are so rare among your kind." He picks up a jar with handles on either side and examines it before giving it to Sam.

"This is Holy Oil," he says (Caroline writes _Holy oil_ on the second line of her piece of paper). "It is exceptionally rare, even more so than the Angel Killing Sword." Caroline grimaces and adds: _hard to find_. "It can only be obtained in Jerusalem." ( _Only in Jerusalem_ ). "When poured in a circle and set ablaze, it will act as the binding agent in angelic imprisonment."

"Like a Devil's Trap," Dean offers as, frowning at the jar as he handles it. "Is this all there is of it?"

"No," Castiel answers easily. "It's just difficult to acquire. May I?" He holds his hand out to Caroline, eyes on her paper. She silently rips him off a sheet and hands him her pen.

He starts to draw something, saying, "This is a Banishing Sigil. It must be drawn with human blood, and when a hand is placed in the middle, angels are briefly banished from the area." He gives Caroline her pen back and shows the drawing to Sam and Dean.

As Sam and Dean inspect the sigil, Castiel squints up at the sky. "Angels also have the ability to locate people—yes," he adds when Caroline starts to speak, "Even vampires. This makes you all particularly vulnerable."

The three of them exchange uneasy glances. "Is there like a spell or something to fix that?" Caroline ventures hopefully.

"Not a spell, but there is a sigil," he says, eyes fixed upwards. Dean thrusts the paper back to him. "So draw it! We'll put it on the walls—"

"No," Castiel cuts him off. "In order to work, it must be carved _into_ the person who wishes to be hidden."

Dean starts rolling up his sleeve as Sam and Caroline watch interestedly. When Dean offers him his forearm Castiel frowns and touches his shoulder.

Instantly, Dean's hands fly to his torso and he doubles over, yelping in pain. "Dude! What the _hell?_ "

"The sigil is etched on your ribs," Castiel informs him calmly. "Not even I could locate you without assistance." Sam only briefly hesitates before waving Castiel over.

When Castiel turns to where Caroline is sitting, a questioning expression on his face, she says unhappily, "It'll just heal, so what's the point?"

He shakes his head. "This won't," he assures her and gently touches her shoulder.

White hot pain shoots through her ribcage so sharply that tears fill her eyes; then it's gone and she stares down at herself. _Well, at least now running is a feasible option._

"Can you do this to Bonnie and Elena too?" she asks him hopefully.

He furrows his brow at her and she's pretty sure it's a sign of affection. "Of course," he says agreeably.

... ... ... ...

 

Even though Bonnie had vehemently sworn that none of them would go to the Mikaelson mansion alone, Caroline finds herself sitting in her car, parked in the Originals' circular driveway.

"Woman up, Forbes," she orders herself, squaring her shoulders and grabbing her bag. She wrenches herself out of her car and marches up to the front door, ringing the bell before she can talk herself out of it.

The youngest brother, a total Diet Elijah (his name escapes her and he's seriously just a more compact, more _unhinged_ version of Elijah, so whatever), answers the door.

"I remember you from the ball," he drawls, grinning at her before she can say anything. "You're the pretty little thing that had my brother in a fury for hours after you left. Few people can work Nik into such a glorious tizzy. I quite like you."

She blinks at him and he gestures grandly for her to come inside. "I'm Kol," he announces, thrusting his hand at her.

"Caroline," she says back, cautiously shaking it.

His grin widens and he says, "Pleasure, _Car-o-line_ ," sounding out her name like it's some exotic word he's never encountered. "What brings you to our humble abode?"

She rolls her eyes and says, "Is Elijah here?" She'd _so_ much rather deal with Elijah's aloofness than with Klaus's mood swings.

His face turns impishly mischievous and he reminds her a little of Puck from when she read _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ last year in English. "Already forsaken dear Nik, darling?" 

Caroline grits her teeth and says, " _Or_ Klaus?"

"I'm afraid, sweetheart, that neither one is here at the moment. But you're more than welcome to stay until they return."

"Do you know when that'll be, exactly?" she asks, checking the time on her phone and frowning. If she's gone too long, Sam and Dean will notice and Dean will _definitely_ throw a fit when she gets back.

"Not the foggiest, darling," Kol says airily. "Fancy a snack?" He disappears before she can answer.

Her eyes narrow in suspicion until he returns, holding two glasses of blood and offering one to her. She takes it but doesn't drink.

"Oh, say it isn't so," he groans sadly. "You're one of _those_ vampires?"

She bristles. "What does that even mean?"

"Tell me, lovely Caroline. Do you only eat small, defenseless forest animals?" His eyes are wide and beguiling.

She scowls at him. " _No_ , but I'd rather eat defenseless forest animals than defenseless _people_."

He brightens immediately. "Magnificent. Rest assured, this," he gestures to the two glasses, "is courtesy of the recent Mystic Falls Hospital blood drive." When her eyebrows shoot up, he says sensibly, "Can't have bodies dropping everywhere, now can we? Might look a wee bit _suspicious_."

Despite herself, she's smiling a little until she hears Klaus say indignantly from behind her, " _What_ are you doing, Kol?"

Kol tips his glass at Klaus and says brightly, "Having a drink with my new friend Caroline, dear brother. How were your oh-so-urgent errands?"

"Fine," Klaus spits out. "Leave, Kol."

Kol gives him a look of mock hurt before turning to Caroline and taking her free hand in his. "Lovely to meet you, darling. Do come by and visit me again." With that, he vanishes. 

Before she can stop herself, Caroline snorts. At Klaus's questioning look, she shrugs and pulls her list out of her bag, handing it to him.

As he scans it, Caroline tilts her head up, staring at the impossibly high vaulted ceiling. She traces the thin edges of her glass absently, jumping a little when Klaus says, "Is there anything else you need, Caroline?"

She bites her lip and dives in before she can think better of it. "Yeah, actually. There's this thing that keeps angels from finding people." Her hand subconsciously goes to her ribcage; when she sees his eyes following it, she immediately drops her arm back to her side. "It's carved on your ribs."

His eyebrows go up as she continues, "I think you—and Elijah—should have it. It hurts but I think it'll be worth it because, you know…" she trails off and then, feeling a little dumb, finishes, "Hiding, and all that."

Klaus looks amused at her fumbling. "I appreciate your concern, sweetheart."

She hesitates before going on, "If you could…not tell anyone I was here—that'd be great," she says; and when his face darkens, she hastily explains, "It's just—my stepbrothers—you know how it is. It's not—well, it's not _all_ you." She pauses and then says, "Dean thought your drawing was creepy and Sam put it on the fridge." God, she has so not rehearsed this part.

He laughs out loud at that and the corners of her mouth tick up at the sound. "And what did you think of it?" he wants to know, his arms crossing over his chest.

Caroline's finger goes back to circling the top of her glass. "I don't know what to think about it," she tells him honestly, voice thoughtful. "But I do know you make it really hard to like you when you threaten the people I care about." There is no bite to her voice.

She wavers slightly before saying, "And I have no idea why you like me—we're _so_ different. You…you've destroyed lives and ruined families, and when I—I killed someone I _hated_ myself."

"But that's exactly why I like you," he tells her quietly. "You're _good_ , Caroline, and beautiful and strong and full of light."

Warmth hums along her veins and she wishes she weren't so flattered, because this is _Klaus,_ who killed Jenna, who killed Tyler and _Elena_. She grabs hold of that thought.

"I have to go," she says reservedly and she holds the glass full of untouched blood out to him. As he takes it, his fingers brush hers and she pretends not to notice (even though she knows that _he_ knows she did). As she leaves, she pushes down on that infuriating pull in the bottom of her stomach that always seems to occur when she talks to him 

Caroline definitely won't be telling anyone she stopped by.

... ... ... ...

The next night as Dean is grousing about how Sam bought _chick beer_ and Castiel wants to know how chickens could possibly relate to alcohol, Stefan Salvatore knocks on the Forbes-Winchester door.

Sam answers it, rolling his eyes as Dean yells from the living room, "I hope that's Chuck Norris, here to take away your Man Card!" When he sees Stefan with his hands shoved in his pockets and shoulders hunched, Sam's jaw sets.

From her spot curled up on the couch, Caroline hears Stefan say, "Uh—hey, Sam," and this has to be about Klaus's stupid hybrids, but Caroline has a massive bone to pick with him before they can even pretend to be friends again. "Is—is Caroline home, by any chance?"

There's no answer for a beat and Caroline thinks Sam must be remembering how hard she had taken it when Stefan had decided to revert back to being a mass murder, not to mention the things she had said he _did_ to people. "You need to leave," she hears Sam say, and he's about to slam the door unceremoniously in Stefan's face when Caroline flashes beside him. "What do _you_ want?" she demands, voice icy. She swears to _God_ if he says those freaking hybrids, she'll bash his skull in.

Stefan shifts from side to side. "Just—can we talk for a second?" His eyes slide over to where Sam is leaning against the door frame, arms crossed and expression threatening. "Go ahead," Sam invites coolly, giving no indication that he's moving.

Caroline doesn't even bother trying to shoo him away. "What do you want to talk about, Stefan? You want to talk about how you nearly drove my best friend, your _girlfriend_ , off the bridge where her _parents_ died? Or do you wanna talk about the people whose limbs you ripped off? Or what about—"

Stefan is wincing painfully as he holds up his hands in surrender. "Believe me, Care, I know—"

"Oh, you _know_?" she echoes, voice going low and quiet, eyes flashing. "You _know_? No, Stefan, I don't think you _know_." She advances on him; he looks almost relieved, like he's been waiting for this. "Yeah, it was incredibly, _unbelievably_ selfless of you to sacrifice yourself for Damon. Trust me, I get that and I admire you for it. But you've been back to you—the _old_ you, for what, a month now? And you can't muster up the balls to even _apologize_ to Elena? And believe me, Stefan, that's the absolute least of what you should do. Do you even have the slightest _clue_ how hard Damon and I had to work to keep her from falling apart?" She takes in a ragged breath and when he opens his mouth to respond, she snaps, "I'm not _done_." 

It takes Caroline a few moments to swallow the lump that's threatening to take over her throat and force her words out. "You didn't just hurt Elena, Stefan," she says flatly. "You promised to _take care_ of me, to help me! So where've you been? Where were you when Tyler bit me and I was _dying_? Where were you _after_?"

She stops when she realizes that tears are streaming down her face; Sam pulls her back into the house and repeats to Stefan, "You need to leave." The door swings shut as she unsuccessfully tries to wipe away tear tracks with her sleeves. When the lock clicks, she finds herself straight up sobbing into Sam's shirt. 

"Who the hell was that?" Dean demands from somewhere behind her. 

"That," Sam sighs, arms tightening slightly around her, one hand stroking her hair comfortingly, "was Stefan Salvatore."

"Damn," Dean says slowly. "That whole family's just full of dicks, huh?"

... ... ... ...

 

Caroline crawls into bed not long after that, exhausted and emotionally spent. She curls herself into the smallest ball she can manage and tucks her chin into her neck. 

She's trying to force her mind to stop reliving the scene from the front porch when there is a light knock on the door. 

"Caroline, honey?" Liz Forbes calls softly, cracking the door open slightly. "Are you still awake?"

Caroline lifts her head a little and when Liz sees the movement, she slips into the room, door shutting quietly behind her.

Her mother sits down on the side of the bed and brings her hand to Caroline's forehead. "Sam told me what happened tonight," she says gently, brushing loose strands of hair out of Caroline's eyes. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Caroline shakes her head, but does look up at her. "Can I ask you something, Mom?" Liz nods, fingers still ghosting over her hair.

"Do you ever wish this wasn't our lives?"

Liz's fingers pause and she gives a small laugh. "Oh, honey. About twenty times a day—on a _good_ day." She considers Caroline for a minute before saying, "Part of why I fell for John was because I thought he could protect us—could protect _you_ , especially seeing how hard he tried with Dean and Sam." She sighs. "I didn't want this to be your life, sweetie."

Caroline sniffles a little. "Why didn't we just _move?_ "

"Well," Liz says, her eyes taking on a far-away quality. "We're a Founding Family, Care. And, selfish though it may be, I always knew that I wanted to do everything I could to defend this town." She looks down at Caroline's floor. "It was incredibly naïve of me to think that I could shield you from all of it, especially after John died and we couldn't keep everything from you anymore." Guilt starts to seep into her face and she continues, "I should have seen that something was off with you last year, when you were with Damon Salvatore. I'm so sorry, honey."

Caroline blinks back more tears. "He was really good at covering his tracks," she tells Liz quietly, taking her mother's hand in both of her own. 

"When you were in the hospital after the car accident, the doctors—" Liz looks away and takes in a shaky breath. "They weren't very optimistic. And then, not twenty-four hours after getting out of surgery, you were miraculously fine. I should have put it together, should've realized—" They're both crying a little now. "But I was just so relieved that you were going to be okay, it never even crossed my mind—" 

" _Mom_ ," Caroline says fiercely. "It—this wasn't your fault, okay? It was a…" she searches for the right words because _accident_ doesn't really work since she was basically murdered, "a series of unfortunate events," she finishes weakly.

Liz looks down at her and then sighs before kissing her forehead. "Get some sleep, Care," she advises, her voice tender, before leaving quietly. 

Caroline lets her eyes drift shut and the words _beautiful, strong, full of light_ drift across her mind before she gives in to sleep.

... ... ... ...

**tbc.**

 

 


	4. three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Sadly, neither SPN nor TVD are mine. Title is from Explosions in the Sky, who should absolutely be a staple in your music library.
> 
> Remains AU.

**the birth and death of the day**

 

**3.**

Caroline is sitting across from Sam in a booth at the Mystic Grill, her nose deep in her English assignment, pen occasionally scratching down notes. He hadn't said anything when she declined to help research ways to fight angels in favor of her English paper, but she isn't incredibly surprised by that. After all, Sam is the one who went to Stanford instead of hunting demons—the one who eschewed exorcisms and sawed-off shotguns for beer pong and late nights at the library pouring over law textbooks. Out of everyone, she knows Sam probably gets it the most. Understands that in spite of everything, she's holding out hope for Georgetown, Class of 2016. She doesn't ask what he's finding and he doesn't offer—a mutual pact of silence. For now, at least.

They both are so engrossed in their own doings that they jump in unison when Matt drops down tiredly into the open seat next to Caroline for his break. Sam discreetly shifts his computer screen away and raises his eyebrows at Matt. "Everything okay?"

"I'm beat," Matt groans, reaching for one of Caroline's cheese fries and rubbing his forehead. She makes a sympathetic noise and he zeroes in on the book in her hand as she neatly folds the corner of her page down.

"Care, that paper isn't due for a week," he says half-exasperated, half fond. "It's _Saturday._ "

She scowls at him, but her heart isn't in it. "Yeah, and Lauren Peterson is dead-set on knocking me out of the salutatorian spot, which is _so_ not happening. Besides, you have to actually _read_ the book before you can write the paper."

Matt closes his eyes and leans his head against the back of the booth. "Have you talked to Tyler lately?" he asks, way too casually, and Caroline's eyes narrow in suspicion.

"No," she says pointedly and her voice drops in volume. "Seeing as how we broke up because he _drugged_ me." 

"Hold on, _what_?" Sam demands, snapping to attention, his jaw tightening. Matt glances at him and rushes to explain.

"We were going after Klaus, Care! He didn't—he vervained you to _protect_ you," he says defensively, eyeing the look on Sam's face warily. "He—"

"I can protect _myself_ ," she informs him crisply. "And I _definitely_ don't need someone to make my decisions for me."

"Care—"

"Matt, I know you're just trying to be a good friend," she says more gently, her hand going to his arm and her voice turning mollifying. "It's very— _noble_ of you. But if Tyler wants this conversation to happen, he should come talk to me, not you. It isn't really your business, and it definitely isn't your fight, okay?"

Matt sighs as he stands up to return to work, expression defeated. "Just—talk to him, okay? He's kind of a mess."

Once Matt is gone, Sam arches his eyebrows at her. "Want to explain what that was about? Or do I have to pull out the brother card and beat someone's ass?"

Caroline rolls her eyes at him. "No ass-beating," she orders firmly. "He had good intentions, but a bad plan and even worse execution." She pauses before adding more quietly, "And I _hate_ having my choices taken away."

Sam groans and stretches out in the booth, hand reaching to shift his laptop back in place. "You have the absolute _worst_ taste in guys," he tells her fondly, pulling his phone out as it begins to chirp. Caroline sees Dean's name on the screen before Sam answers, sliding out of the booth. "Hey," he says into the speaker, catching Caroline's eye and nodding his head to the door before he walks through it.

Caroline reopens her book and picks her pen back up, determined to refocus her attention on writing this paper—but her eyes wander over to where Sam is pacing in front of the Grill. His face is taut with worry and his knuckles on the hand that is gripping his phone are white. She wonders what has gone wrong now, because they seriously can _not_ catch a damn break.

She tells him as much when he climbs back into their booth. He sighs and starts to pack up his stuff, shutting his laptop down and unplugging its charger. Catching his drift, she shuts her book and caps her pen, pulling her bag from its spot beside her onto the table. "Dean and I have to go to D.C.," he tells her, wrapping the cord into a tight ball and shoving into his bag. She freezes, staring at him and feeling very much like someone has just thrown ice water in her face.

"You're _leaving_?"

Sam glances up and stops rustling through the notes he had been scribbling when he sees her wide eyes. "We'll just be a day or two," he assures her, hand reaching over to grip her shoulder. "And Cas will stay here with you. You'll be fine."

Caroline knows he thinks that he's being comforting by telling her that but it _so_ doesn't help. She opens her mouth to inform him as much when he says sympathetically, "Take it up with Dean, okay?"

... ... ... ...

"We've got to go, Care," and Caroline scowls because Dean's response is an exact duplicate of Sam's. Both Winchesters are gathering rifles and huge containers of salt and her chest tightens, worry spiking through her veins.

"What's so important in D.C. that you're packing an entire arsenal _and_ dropping Apocalypse survival training?" she cries, hand shooting out to hold down the long, iron dagger Sam is reaching for. He pulls his hand back and sighs, looking at Dean helplessly.

"It's _maximum_ two days. Probably less than that," Dean assures her, coming over to her and dropping both hands onto her shoulders. She's so not reassured, especially since the total number of days being spent on this trip have gone up. "You'll be fine. And Cas—"

"— _is staying here_ ," she says along with him. "Yeah, Sam mentioned that. Is that supposed to make me feel better? Because it doesn't!"

"Do I still frighten you?" Castiel wants to know and she nearly jumps out of her skin at his sudden appearance at Dean's side.

"You do when you just— _Apparate_ out of nowhere!" she exclaims, her eyes shutting briefly and her hand going to her heart.

Castiel frowns at her and, then says to Dean in an undertone, "I don't understand. What is Apparating?"

Dean waves his hand dismissively and says, "Nothing real, so don't worry about it." He folds his arms over his chest and gives Caroline and Castiel a brief once-over before shaking his head. Sam zips up the second of the two duffels and hands one to Dean as they start heading towards the door.

"Just so we're clear," Caroline fumes as she follows them to the Impala; in her peripheral vision, she sees Castiel falling in step next to her, face curious. "You're leaving in the middle of—"

Sam glances around furtively before saying lowly, "It has something to do with that, Care." He pops the trunk on the Impala and slings his duffel bag inside.

That stops her in her tracks. Until—"Then why isn't Castiel going? And why can't you tell me what's going on?" 

"Too conspicuous," Castiel supplies helpfully, and Dean points at him approvingly.

"Give the man a prize. And you'd just freak out and worry, Caroline, because you always forget that this is our _job_. It's just another day at the office," Dean says, grimacing as he slams the trunk shut. Turning towards them, he rubs his hands together and channels John Winchester. "Listen up, you two." Caroline resists the urge to roll her eyes at him and instead sneaks a look at Castiel. He has an almost comical look of attentiveness on his face.

"You first, Precious Moments," Dean says, gesturing to Castiel. "Your job is to make sure freaky Dracu-douche doesn't kidnap her ass, got it?" At the bewildered look on Castiel's face, Dean pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Sammy, _help_ ," he groans.

Sam grins and points at Castiel, translating, "You baby-sit her." Caroline's mouth drops open in offense as he swings his finger in her direction. "And you baby-sit him. Don't burn the house down."

Dean nods appreciatively. "What he said." He fiddles with the Impala keys before holding an arm out and, irritation momentarily forgotten in favor of worry, Caroline steps into it.

"Just make sure you come back in one piece, okay?" she says in his ear, arms looping around his neck. His arms tighten around her briefly before he lets go and ruffles her hair fondly. 

"You got it," he says, and when Sam hugs her, he promises, "We'll be fine. Don't worry." 

They both climb into the Impala, doors shutting in unison as the engine starts to rumble. She and Castiel watch as Dean backs the car out of the driveway and turns onto their street, the car eventually disappearing down the road.

Caroline turns to Castiel. "I could use a drink," she announces, because seriously, the end of the world is coming and she can't really think about the fact that Dean and Sam just left on some mission that requires enough weapons for a small army. She _really_ needs a drink or ten. "You down?"

He looks down at his feet before saying bemusedly, "Actually, it would appear that I'm _up_."

She snorts and says, "No, what I meant was—I'm going to go get a drink. Of the alcoholic variety. Do you want to come with me?"

His brow furrows slightly. "I don't drink alcohol," he tells her gravely.

She blinks at him in surprise before saying sunnily, "Well, now's as good a time as any to start!"

... ... ... ...

 

"You don't _look_ like an angel," Damon comments critically, circling Castiel suspiciously. "Where are your wings?" He shoots Caroline an accusatory look. "I was promised _wings_."

She scoffs at him as she rummages through his liquor cabinet. "I'd have no problem if you decided to smite him," she says to Castiel, spying the good whiskey in the back and pulling it out. "You'd be doing the world a favor, really. Where's Stefan?" She unscrews the cap and pours two drinks, handing one to Castiel.

"Still trying to talk Elena out of this hybrid summoning. He should be on his way back soon. And speaking of Stefan," he plucks the whiskey bottle away from her indignantly. "He came back from your house the other night looking like a sad, kicked puppy. He wrote in that stupid journal for _hours_ ; it was _so_ boring. I think he might have cried. So whatever you said," Damon salutes her with the bottle, "I commend you."

"God, you would," she grumbles, tilting her glass up and letting a sizeable swallow of whiskey burn down her throat. Coughing a little and her eyes watering, she gestures to Castiel. "The point of drinking is to, you know, _drink_."

"But you don't seem to have enjoyed it," he points out, eyeing his glass warily. "I don't see the point."

Caroline takes another sip, her insides warming. "Not everything has to have a point, Cas," she says sagely, and she's totally lying because the point—right now, at least—is to forget what's coming while they can still afford to. Damon smirks and calls her out.

"Wrong, Barbie. The _point_ ," and he jabs the bottle in Castiel's direction for emphasis, "is to get _drunk_." Castiel looks down into his glass and hesitantly takes a small sip.

"Cheers," she says, raising her glass to him and with a long swallow, she empties it.

 ... ... ... ...

 

"What's Hell like?" Caroline wonders out loud, stirring her fourth—maybe fifth? She's lost count—round with her finger absently. She looks over questioningly at Castiel, who is still nursing his first glass, face screwing up in distaste with every tiny sip.

Damon winces from his spot on the floor, cradling the empty whiskey bottle next to him. "Way to kill the mood, _Barbie_."

Both Caroline and Castiel act as though he hadn't spoken. "You don't want to know," Castiel tells her grimly, staring into the Salvatore fireplace and not meeting her eyes.

She pushes herself forward in her seat, swaying slightly, and says, a little despairingly, "It was really bad for him, wasn't it." It isn't a question.

"It's bad for everyone," he says in lieu of answering.

"I," Damon announces, standing slightly unsteadily, "am not listening to this _morbid_ conversation." He drunkenly makes his way out of the living room, shooting Caroline a glare as he leaves.

"But you pulled him out," Caroline says, ignoring Damon's departure, eyes fixed on Castiel. Her words run together slightly. "You _saved_ him."

His gaze shifts from the fireplace to his shoes and is he _blushing_? "You saved him," Caroline repeats firmly. "You don't know what that means to me. To Sam." She reaches forward and squeezes his hand, wondering why she was ever afraid of him because really, he's a teddy bear.

Or she could be just drunk.

Castiel looks at where her fingers are grasping his and finally meets her eyes. "I was following orders," is all he says, and she shakes her head at him, a bit more fiercely than she means to because everything is still spinning a little when she stops.

"Doesn't matter," she asserts, although Dean's comment about being supposed to fight on the other side with the angels tugs in the back of her brain. But she isn't dealing with that at right this second because everything is turning into a nice haze. " _Thank_ you, Cas." Her hand drops off of his and she leans back into her seat on the couch. 

He doesn't say anything for a few minutes, just looks at her with an odd expression on his face as she finishes what's left in her glass.

"Need more whiskey," she mumbles, more to herself than to him; and as she makes her way over to Damon's liquor cabinet, walking slightly crooked, Castiel asks, "Did you talk to Dean about Hell?"

Her fingers pause in their dance over the bottles. "A little," she confirms quietly. "But I didn't want to ask too much. In case he had, like, PTSD or something." She decides she'd rather have rum, and clasps her hand around the neck of the bottle. Glancing back at Castiel's impassive face, she explains, "Post traumatic stress disorder. Like, when a soldier comes home from war but wakes up thinking he's still there and freaks out. Stuff like that." She uncaps the rum bottle, uncaring that Damon might really break her neck if she drinks all of his good alcohol. "I didn't want to make it worse," she tells him, returning to her seat, bottle in hand.

They sit in silence, the only sound coming from Damon's drunken fumbling in the kitchen.

"We were many," Castiel says finally with faraway look in his eyes and she pauses in mid-drag straight from the bottle. "Three garrisons were sent down into the abyss to rescue Dean Winchester." His voice is so bleak that Caroline shivers. "It was not a solitary effort."

"Did you…" Caroline hesitates, unsure if she wants to know the answer to this question. She goes on anyway. "Did you lose anyone?"

Castiel fixes her with a sharp look. "Yes," he says gruffly. He doesn't elaborate and she doesn't ask.

He takes a deep breath and looks like he is steeling himself as he says, "Hell…Hell is darker than the blackest corner of the earth. You see no one and no one sees you, but you hear them." Castiel pauses and Caroline's entire body has gone ice-cold. "All there is…all there is for eternity is screaming and pain. And darkness."

"And a month is ten years," she whispers faintly, hand gripping the neck of the rum bottle so tightly she hears the glass crack. "He was down there for _years_." Her vision blurs and she feels tears slip down her face. She wishes they were the effects of all the alcohol she's had to drink and not because of the ache in her heart. "Sam didn't come back until a month after they left—after it happened," she tells him hoarsely, biting her lip. "I don't think he'd eaten or slept in days. I never...I never asked. And then he'd disappear for weeks at a time... _everything_ bad happened after Dean—after Dean was gone." She inhales shakily, the feel of a pillow forced over her face flaring in her memory. "And nothing was okay until he came back. Until _you_ gave him back to us."

They fall silent again.

"Deep, depressing talk better be _over_ ," Damon warns as he re-enters the living room, and then he sees the rum bottle in Caroline's hand. " _Hell_ , Barbie, you know how expensive that stuff is?" She turns her tear-stained face towards him and he falters. "Well don't _cry_ about it," he mutters, dropping back into his spot on the floor and holding his glass out to her.

She wipes at the tear tracks as she fills it and forces her voice to be light. "Shouldn't Stefan be back by now?" She tips the bottle up and drinks straight from it because she needs that lovely haze back now, thanks.

Damon shrugs exaggeratedly and waves his hand widely out in front of him. "I'm sure he and Elena are recounting the tragedy of their Romeo and Juliet love story. Probably some hot and heavy joint journal-writing going on. Maybe some longing stares if they're feeling really frisky."

Her voice is harder than she means for it to be. "Careful, Damon. Your bitterness is showing." Castiel watches their exchange with the same interested look on his face as when he had watched Sam and Dean squabble about light beer and turkey bacon ( _It's fake bacon, Sammy. It's a bird masquerading as a pig and I'm not eating it_ ).

Instead of snarling at her like she expects, Damon's head drops back against the couch so that his forehead is pressing into her thigh and Caroline's eyes widen as she gapes down at him. "What does he have, Barbie?" he bemoans, and he _must_ be smashed because he never talks like this. "I could be good. I _would_ be good, if she asked me."

Caroline really doesn't want to comfort _Damon_ Salvatore of all people—she still vividly remembers fangs at her throat and _you're useless and shallow, Caroline_. Plus, she has always, _always_ preferred Stefan—she had been ready to forgive him for everything he had done with Klaus (on condition that he actually apologized) right up until he nearly drove Elena off of Wickery Bridge. She of all people understood sacrificing yourself for your brother. But after the Wickery Bridge nightmare, Elena had cried in Caroline's bed until she had literally passed out mid-sob, so now _both_ Salvatores are on her shit list and neither one has really given her any reason to reconsider.

But Damon looks so pitiful that her heart softens despite herself. "Damon," she says gently, briefly hesitating before squaring her shoulders— _in for a penny, in for a pound, Forbes_ —and brushing his hair off his forehead. "She _has_ asked you to be good." He stills and she continues on, "And you have got to stop treating her like a five-year-old."

"But she _acts_ like one," he protests petulantly, voice muffled because half of his face is pressed into the couch.

"No," Caroline corrects. "Elena acts like she's eighteen, because she _is_. It just looks childish and immature to you because you're _old_. Stop pushing, try not to sleep with any more Originals, and just be _nice_. It'll help. Promise."

He grunts and rolls his head away from her. "You're one to talk about Originals."

She takes a long sip of rum and says sourly, "That's _all_ you took away from that? And I'm _definitely_ not sleeping with any Originals."

"Not _yet_ ," he sings out. "Don't think all those secret looks have gone unnoticed. And you went to his house _alone_."

" _How_ the hell do you know that?" she demands tensely, glancing at Castiel, who frowns at her. Dean and Sam will definitely hear about this and she is _so_ not looking forward to it. The atmosphere is suddenly much more hostile.

"Original baby bro told Original baby sis, who told me," he says smugly. "You suck at covering your tracks."

"He and Elijah are going to _help_ us with—"

"Yeah," he cuts her off. "I get it, they can get us shit we need to fight, win, whatever." His voice turns serious. "But you're a damn _idiot_ if you think you can reel him in for Apocalypse Now and then toss him back after the grand finale."

"I'm _not_ reeling him in!" she cries defensively. "And what is _with_ the fishing metaphors?"

He stands up and tips his glass in her direction. "That's the thing," he says resentfully. "You have _no_ _idea_ that you're stringing him along." Her eyes go wide because he seriously can _not_ be concerned for freaking _Klaus_.

" _God_ ," she scoffs at him derisively. "Projecting much? Get a clue, Damon. You expect Elena to fall head over heels for you—after everything you've done—just because you've been halfway decent for a few months! Klaus is a lot of things, most of them horrible, but he isn't _delusional_."

"We'll see, Barbie. You do what you gotta do, and everything, but don't be surprised if he goes on a killing spree once he finds out it was all in the name of saving the world," he snaps, grabbing the rum bottle from her. "You know the way out." Icy blue eyes flick over to where Castiel is sitting, looking shell-shocked. "And take Angels in the Outfield with you."

... ... ... ...

"I don't like him," Castiel announces as she fumbles with her car keys. Caroline gives up trying to force her fingers to work and lets out a frustrated sound. "No one likes him," she tells him, "because he's a _dick_. And I am not nearly sober enough for this, and there is no _way_ I'm letting you drive us home!"

"No," he agrees solemnly. "I can't drive."

One of the key rings looped over her index finger, she points at him and says, "When this is over, I'll teach you. But for now," she shoves her keys back in her bag and throws her hands up dramatically. "We walk."

He looks at her curiously. "Neither one of us would be hurt in an accident," he reminds her. She shakes her head at him. "No," she grants him that one. "But other people could be."

Castiel tilts his head as he regards her. "You're very caring," he observes and she blushes as she pulls him onto the sidewalk with her.

"People are important," Caroline says quietly, concentrating on not stumbling. The cool air is definitely helping to clear her head. "Just because everyone forgets that doesn't make it not true." She pauses before confiding, "I killed someone, right after I turned. I didn't mean to, I just—I had no idea how to stop it or how to control myself. I never knew his name and most days I can't even remember what he looked like." She focuses on the streetlamps so she doesn't have to look at Castiel's face. "But I never forget that he had people who loved him, people who miss him. And that I'm the one that took him away from those people." She bites her lip before saying, "I refuse to hurt anyone else."

Castiel stops and she turns back. "What?" she asks, suddenly very alert and listening for the sounds of footsteps. But there are only crickets and the occasionally dog barking.

"It is not up to me," he says slowly, admiration dawning in his eyes. "But I am fairly certain that you are not damned, Caroline Forbes."

Her eyes well up with tears that have been building since Damon kicked them out of the boarding house. "Really?" she whispers, voice cracking.

"Yes," he confirms. "You are more concerned with protecting the Lord's people than His own Host of Heaven. I cannot imagine that you do not deserve Paradise."

Warmth spreads throughout her limbs and before she can think better of it, she throws her arms around his neck and says tearfully, "Thanks, Cas." He awkwardly pats her back, his arms never fully reaching around her.

"You're welcome, Caroline," he says, and she detects a note of fondness in his voice.

"What's all this then?" She stiffens in recognition and releases Castiel before turning around.

Rebekah smirks at them and Caroline says sharply, "Have you considered going all Single White Female on someone else? Because I'm _so_ beyond fed up with it."

"But you make it so _easy_ , Caroline," Rebekah says idly, examining her nails. "And I'm terribly sorry that you're in the way of so many things I want, but you understand how these things go. It can't be avoided." Rebekah smiles wolfishly at her and the similarity to Klaus makes the hair on the back of Caroline's neck stand up. "You are head cheerleader, after all."

Caroline turns to Castiel and says conversationally, "You would think that someone who's lived for over a thousand years would be less concerned with what happens in _high school_." She meets Rebekah's eyes. "Whenever I get caught up in the drama, my mom says there's life after high school. But apparently no one ever told you that, Rebekah."

Rebekah gives her a falsely bright smile. "The difference between you and me, Caroline is that that's something you need to be reminded of. And you're being awfully rude, by not introducing me to your—friend, you know." The way she pauses over the word _friend_ has Caroline making a mental note to warn Castiel about the possibility of having his neck snapped by a lunatic Original hybrid. "I'm Rebekah." She holds out her hand.

"Castiel," he responds formally, making no move to shake her proffered hand. She smirks as her hand drops back to her side.

"Moving on from Tyler so quickly?" Rebekah comments cattily and Caroline rolls her eyes.

"Cas is a family friend," she says indifferently. "Not that you would know anything about _friends_."

She lands a direct hit; Rebekah's face twists and she hisses, "If I find out you are _playing_ with my brother, Caroline, I will string you up by your intestines and leave you for your adorable stepbrothers to find."

Before Caroline can think of a retort, Castiel says, his voice foreboding, "You will do no such thing," and, distracted, Caroline and Rebekah both look over at him.

Slightly mystifying and _definitely_ intimidating black shadow wings are spread behind his back, bathed in the glow of the streetlight he has moved to stand under. Caroline is awestruck and a little touched at the display, and when she turns back to Rebekah, the other girl is pale.

"That's impossible," she says lowly. "That is _not possible_." There is very real fear in her eyes.

Before Caroline can point out (a little smugly because she's still tipsy enough to poke at the beast) that it is, in fact, possible since Castiel is _right there_ and maybe Rebekah needs her eyes checked, she's gone.

"Great," she sighs, turning to Castiel. "She'll probably freak out to Klaus and he'll show up on my porch with a vendetta. Not that I don't appreciate your defense," she adds quickly, smiling at him a little. "Very gentlemanly."

"She is one of the first vampires," he observes thoughtfully, moving out of the intense light of the streetlamp. They resume walking back to the Forbes-Winchester house. "And she does not like you."

"Oh, she hates me," Caroline corrects him. "She's also a psychopath, but that runs in her family so I'm not sure how much we can really blame her for that."

... ... ... ... 

Her phone ringing early the next morning yanks Caroline out of her slightly hung-over sleep. Fumbling around her nightstand in search for her phone, she peers blearily at the name then slides her finger across the unlock bar.

"Hey, Sam," she says, and she winces at how deep and scratchy her voice is.

"Sounds like someone had a good night," Sam greets her, chuckling. "How's everything going down there?"

She yawns and pushes her hair off of her forehead, sitting up. "The same as when you left. How's D.C.? Are you coming back soon?"

There's some noise in the background and Caroline pictures them in a nasty motel room with weapons and musty old books spread all over the floor, salt lining the windows. "It's going about like we expected," Sam tells her. "Should be home tomorrow, don't know what time. You and Cas getting along?"

"Yeah," she says, electing to not tell him about Castiel outing himself to Rebekah until they get home. "Where's Dean?"

"Picking up pie and Fritos from the gas station," Sam replies and Caroline snorts because that is _so_ typical. "He said to tell you everything's fine, not to worry and he wants you to tell Liz he wants her spaghetti tomorrow night."

"I'll pass it along," she says dryly, kicking her legs out from under her covers and making her way to the bathroom, flicking on the light.

"He also said to tell you to stay away from—and I quote, 'Vincent van Vampire.'"

She rolls her eyes and leans forward to examine the slightly dark circles under her eyes, saying, "No need to remind me of that."

"Yeah, I know," Sam says with a laugh. "I think that Dean sometimes forgets you aren't eight anymore. He still thinks you need someone to threaten to shove kids' faces in the sand."

She laughs at the image in spite of herself. "Yeah, I can shove people's faces in the sand all by myself now," she says wryly, fiddling with the elastic on her boxer shorts. "I've got to take a shower, Sam, but—be careful, okay?"

"We always are," he says, and she hangs up and drops her phone onto the bathroom counter.

She feels much less hung-over once she gets out of the shower and puts clean clothes on. "Cas?" she calls into the hallway, buttoning her jeans and pushing damp hair out of her eyes. There's no answer, which surprises her a little. She tiptoes down the hallway to the living room and blinks in confusion when she sees the sheets and pillows that make up Castiel's 'bed' are neatly folded and stacked. There's no note.

"Not a big deal," she says to herself aloud. "Probably just some weird angel thing. No need to freak out, Caroline." Feeling appropriately chastened, she pulls a thermos out of the fridge and takes several long sips of B positive.

Several minutes later, she's locking up her front door and heading to the Salvatore house. There are enough early-morning joggers out that she can't flash herself over there, but the morning sun is peeking through the trees that line the sidewalk and the air smells like flowers so she isn't really bothered by having to walk normally.

Her car is exactly where she left it, but as she's about to open the door and get in the driver's seat, Stefan Salvatore says from the top of the driveway, "Damon wanted to have it towed."

She stiffens and glances over at him. "Thanks for saving me two hundred dollars and not letting him, I guess," she says flatly.

"It's the least I could do," he replies quietly, regarding her carefully. "I needed to hear what you had to say the other night."

Caroline shrugs at him. "I'm always available to bitchslap you with the truth," she quips with a lightness she doesn't feel. He makes his way down the driveway to stand in front of her.

"I know I have a lot to apologize for," he tells her, shame shadowing his face. "And I'm going to try to start making things right."

"Really?" she responds tartly, tilting her head at him. "Because I haven't heard an apology yet."

Stefan smiles a little and says sincerely, "Caroline Forbes, I am _very_ sorry for all the pain I've caused you. I'm sorry for leaving, and for not being there when you needed me to be. I'm working on getting back to who I was and from the very bottom of my heart, I wish I had been better."

She fiddles with her keys and says softly, "I guess it's a start."

... ... ... ...

Today must just be the day for heart-to-hearts, Caroline decides as she parks in front of the Lockwood mansion. Mrs. Lockwood's car is nowhere to be seen, and Caroline figures she's probably still at church, assuring everyone that their town is completely normal, especially since there hasn't been 'animal attack' in months.

Caroline steels her nerves and rings the doorbell.

Tyler looks a little stunned to see her when he opens the door but he recovers well and says, stepping aside so she can come in, "Hey, Care. What's up?"

"How are you?" she asks, unsure of how to exactly start. Her hands twist awkwardly as she walks into his living room.

He shrugs. "Okay, I guess. You?"

She bites her lip before saying, "Fine. But we need to talk about something." He doesn't look at all surprised so she takes that as her cue to keep going. "About... _us_ ," she beings cautiously and he cuts her off urgently, "Care, I was trying to protect you because I _love_ you!"

She winces, remembering the last time he'd said that, her hand going subconsciously to her collarbone. "I know," she tells him gently, "but I don't need you to protect me. I need you to protect _you_ and that can't happen while you're sire bonded to Klaus." She pauses before adding, "I know your heart was in the right place, Tyler, but you can't make people do what you think is best. That's what people like _Klaus_ do, not you."

Tyler's eyes harden and he says emotionlessly, "You know, Rebekah mentioned how you went over there to see him." Caroline's mouth drops open slightly because _seriously_ , does Rebekah have nothing else better to do than gossip about her?

"And you think, what, that I dumped you for him?" she demands, defenses going up. "God, Tyler—"

"What am I supposed to think?" he snaps back and they're nearly nose-to-nose, glaring at each other. He blinks first and seems to visibly deflate. "I made a mistake, Care," he says softly, hands going to her arms. "And you have no idea how sorry I am."

She sighs heavily and says resignedly, "There's something you need to know, Tyler."

... ... ... ... 

"I wish you wouldn't have told Bekah," Klaus says offhandedly and Caroline stiffens as she shuts her car door. When she turns around, he looks deceptively normal, right down to the stupid hipster cords around his neck.

"She was going to find out eventually and she kind of forced the issue," she replies archly, locking her car and turning her keys so that the one to her house is at the ready. She walks up her driveway and hears his footsteps as he follows her. "Something about stringing me up by my intestines and having my stepbrothers find me." Caroline unlocks her front door. "For some weird reason, the _angel_ I was with at the time didn't appreciate that too much." She pauses before adding, "Also, I may have been a little drunk." She keeps to herself that she literally _just_ spilled the beans to Tyler too. Klaus doesn't need to know that.

His expression barely changes but her stomach still flutters a little— _nerves_ , she decides firmly and she keeps her face from giving her away as she crosses her threshold. When she realizes he isn't behind her anymore she turns around and sees that he's leaning back against the wooden railing that surrounds her porch. She raises an eyebrow at him in question and he shrugs. "It's rude to come in uninvited, sweetheart."

Caroline snorts, because _seriously_ , these manners so do not mesh with everything else about him, especially his cold-blooded murderer side. "You already have an invitation," she points out haughtily.

"Only in the technical sense," Klaus says lightly, dark blue eyes fixed on hers. She sets her jaw and says snippily, "Do you have a reason for being here other than bitching to me about Cas freaking Rebekah out?" He looks annoyingly amused.

"I have something from your list," he responds casually, and she contemplates him before wordlessly walking inside, leaving the door open behind her. She hears him come in behind her and shut the door as she heads for the living room.

She puts her finger to her lips for him to stay quiet before she calls out, "Cas?" When there is no answer, she gestures for him to go on and he looks even more amused than he had on her porch.

Klaus pulls a long dagger out from his jacket sleeve and puts it down on her coffee table. Her eyes widen. "An Angel Killing Sword," she says, a little shocked that something has gone their way. That has to bode well for the future, right?

"How did you find it?" Caroline wants to know, eyes not leaving the sword as she sits down on the sofa, slightly awed with her hand going to her mouth. He remains standing, arms crossed over his chest and a small, self-satisfied smile playing on his mouth.

"A careless human lost it to careless vampire," he says easily, a predatory gleam in his eye and he looks more like the Klaus she's used to seeing. She has _got_ to stop forgetting who he is.

She fingers the handle of the blade lightly. "So two people died for this," she murmurs without looking at him.

"I'd be a little more grateful, love," he warns, voice cooling considerably as he turns towards her mantle, his back to her; she shudders. "Tracking that dagger down was no easy feat. A little appreciation would go a long way."

She snorts in derision. "Fine. I _appreciate_ that you ripped out all the necessary hearts to get your hands on this. Happy?"

"It'll do for now," he allows, eyes fixed on one of the framed photos resting above her fireplace. She _really_ doesn't like how he's just standing there, contemplating whatever picture he's looking at, so she flounces up off the sofa and marches to his side, gaze following his.

The Forbes-Winchester mantle is a veritable shrine to their family: Sam and Dean's high school graduation photos sit next to Caroline grinning brightly in her cheerleading uniform; Liz and John's wedding portrait is next to a picture that Caroline's pretty sure became a Christmas card. It's Caroline's favorite of all the photos above the fireplace—her, Sam, and Dean during some family beach vacation not long after their parents had gotten married. Their hair is tangled and sand covers their faces; Caroline's smile is missing several teeth; and Dean is laughing at something off camera while Sam is just grinning up at the photographer goofily.

"Lovely family," Klaus says quietly and she almost jumps, having nearly forgotten he was there. Her first instinct is to tell him off—the same dark eyes that are so focused on her gap-toothed smile have probably watched as thousands of people—all belonging, at some point, to a family—died brutally and she cannot afford to keep forgetting that.

But she also knows that he carried his own family around in coffins with him everywhere he went in some twisted attempt to keep them safe, so she settles for diplomacy and says, "Yeah. They're pretty great."

He pauses as though carefully considering his next words. "How did your brother end up in Hell?" he asks, shifting to look at the pictures of Sam and Dean in caps and gowns. Caroline swallows hard because even though she's relieved that he seems to have relaxed, she would really rather not relive that particular moment in her life.

"It's a long story," is all she says, looking away from the mantle with an air of finality. He doesn't push the issue, instead turning to look back at the sword.

"Do you even know how to use a sword, Caroline?"

The mood sufficiently lightened, she goes over to pick it up and examine it. "Nope. Sam went through a pirate stage though. We fought a lot of duels with tree branches."

Klaus laughs and she thinks, not for the first time that he would be a lot less scary if he would just lighten up. "And did you win them?"

She smiles a little. "Only because I didn't play fair." At his inviting expression, she explains, "Pulled all the little girl tricks. Cried, pretended to be hurt, threatened to tattle, the works. Eventually he just started letting me win." She studies the sword intently before subtly peeking over at him.

She can count on one hand the number of times she's seen Klaus, the person who had been alive once, instead of Klaus the ruthless hybrid, but it's not hard at all to tell which one she is seeing now. His eyes are softer, his face completely devoid of arrogance, and she thinks if she had only ever encountered this Klaus, they could have been friends.

He looks so human in that moment that she says in a hushed tone, "Sam died." His eyes snap up to meet hers and Caroline continues purposefully, "Sam died and Dean made a deal with a demon to get him back." Her grip on the Angel Killing Sword tightens. "He traded his soul to save Sam and the demon gave him a final year before he died." She shakes her head and says, unable to stop a little bit of bitterness from creeping into her tone, "All three of us have died before. How messed up is that?" There are tears threatening to start gathering at the corners of her eyes and she bites down on the inside of her cheek to keep them at bay. She drops the sword back on her coffee table and walks into the kitchen to pull her thermos out of the fridge, standing against the counter as she drinks; her grip on her control waning. Klaus follows her into the kitchen and when he sees her face, his own turns sympathetic.

"I lost a brother once," he says quietly, coming to lean next to her. "We were together and—he was quite young. My—Mikael was never the same. He had always hated me, but," Klaus shrugs a little, "it turned into something else after that." His hand goes to the back of his neck ruefully. "I was desperate to keep my remaining family whole and after centuries of running I acted on that desperation."

She thinks back to Tyler and Homecoming and mumbles, "Good intentions but bad, bad execution." It's a strange feeling, bonding with the villain in the most recent chapter of her life. Caroline considers him before venturing, "If you were like this more often, people might actually like you. You wouldn't need a hybrid army or to sire bond people into wanting to be around you." _Caroline Forbes_ , she thinks to herself. _Here to bitchslap you with the truth._ She feels a frisson of fear snake down her spine when his face turns thunderous, but she's pretty sure he won't be ripping her heart out this late in the game.

"Yes, well my _hybrid army_ is due to arrive back in Mystic Falls any day now," Klaus says harshly. He straightens and his eyes narrow at her. "And since the secret is out, it would be best if you and your _angel_ ," he fairly spits the word at her, "came up with some sort of halfway decent plan. Before I have to resort to extreme measures." He leaves the rest of the threat unsaid— _before I have to start hurting the people you love._ Every muscle in her body goes rigid, because _seriously_ , it's not like they're all sitting on their asses here, waiting to be smote.

With her temper flaring, Caroline has no idea how she's managing to keep her cool, or what possesses her to continue her giant leap over the line (that's a lie—she has a bad habit of not backing down when she's pissed, a trait she picked up from one Dean Winchester). She goes right for the heart. "I get it," she says calmly as he makes to storm out. "Your father didn't love you, so you're afraid no one else will either." He whirls around and she finds herself shoved forcefully into her stove, his arms on either side of her, trapping her in between them. His face is a hair's breadth away from hers and his eyes are turning yellow. Her breath catches but she clenches her fists where they remain at her sides and says with perfect composure, "I think you should leave now." She sends a brief internal _thank you_ to God, or whoever, when her voice doesn't shake.

He's gone before she can blink.

... ... ... ...

 

Caroline leaves a note on the counter for Castiel telling him she's decided to spend the night at Bonnie's house (because she really doesn't relish the idea of being home alone when there's a possibly maniacal hybrid who happens to be extremely pissed at her wandering around) along with the number for pizza delivery, twenty bucks and instructions to tip. She leaves a separate note for Liz on the dresser in the master bedroom, making sure to mention Dean's spaghetti demand. As she makes her way down Bonnie's street, she tries to cajole Elena into joining their sleepover.

" _Please_ , Elena," she begs dramatically into her phone. "We'll order Chinese food, watch _Dirty Dancing_ , figure out how to fight angels…you know, girls' night!"

Elena laughs and says, " _Fine_ , Care. But I'm eating dinner with Jeremy and Ric first, so you two shouldn't wait for me to order take out."

"Noted. Hey, Elena—which one hooked you? Patrick Swayze or angel war games?"

Her friend laughs again and Caroline beams. "Definitely Patrick Swayze," Elena says firmly. "Don't start the movie without me."

Bonnie opens her door before Caroline has even cut her engine off.

"You excited, Bon?" Caroline teases as she swings her bag out of the front seat.

"I think I figured it out," Bonnie says breathlessly, ignoring Caroline's question and grabbing her hand to drag her into the house.

"Figured what out?"

"That thing the witches kept repeating— _revelations, revelations_. I kept thinking I was going to see something, like in a dream or a vision, but that's not what it means, Care!"

"Okay," Caroline says slowly, dropping her bag onto the Bennett living room floor. "So what _does_ it mean?"

Bonnie's eyes glitter and she points Caroline to the giant Bennett family Bible resting on the coffee table. "It means the _Book_ of Revelation," she says reverently and Caroline's eyes go wide.

Once she gets her wits back, Caroline says, "Should we wait for Elena?" Bonnie shakes her head. "We can catch her up when she gets here."

Bonnie crouches down in front of her coffee table, opening the Bible to its final book. "It's very complex," she says, finger running down a page. "I can't make heads or tails of a lot of it." She looks up hopefully at Caroline. "Can we get your angel to help?"

"He's not _my_ angel," Caroline reminds her. "And I haven't seen him since last night, so I don't know if he's even around." Bonnie frowns.

"But he'll come back soon right?"

"I think so," Caroline says, because she can't really imagine a scenario where Castiel just peaced out on them before the curtain on this whole thing even went up. "Do you think the witches mean anything specific about Revelation? Or was that just their warning hint?"

"It has to mean something," Bonnie says firmly. "Everything they say _means_ something."

Something clicks in the back of Caroline's mind. _Pretty sure their whole game plan is in there_ , Dean had said. "Bon," she says softly. "Cas said that—that this Apocalypse isn't _God's_ doing, it's the Host of Heaven trying to draw Him out. It's not _His_ version of how things are supposed to go. So…so what if the way to fight them is buried somewhere in here and that's what the witches are trying to tell you?"

Bonnie considers the thin pages thoughtfully. "But everything in the Book of Revelation is about destroying the earth," she reminds Caroline.

"Right, but shouldn't the things God uses in Revelation be for like, His use only? Isn't that _His_ game plan?"

Bonnie sighs and rubs her forehead. "We need help, Care. Is there any way you can get Cas here?"

Caroline blows her bangs off of her forehead. "There's prayer," she offers, forehead bunching and eyes closing as she concentrates, making sure she adds her location to her Bat-signal. When she opens her eyes, hoping to see Castiel, it's still just Bonnie looking at her expectantly.

"Crap," Caroline mutters. "I guess—"

"Care," Bonnie says quietly, eyes focused on what Caroline _hopes_ is Castiel behind her. She peeks over her shoulder and visibly relaxes.

"You should've left a note," she scolds Cas, turning all the way around. "I was kind of worried Rebekah had gotten you."

Castiel stares at her for a second, and she thinks he might be trying to discern if she's joking or not, before offering Bonnie his hand to shake. "Castiel. A pleasure to meet you, Miss Bennett," he says politely.

Bonnie smiles back at him. "Yeah, you too." She gestures to the giant tome opened on her coffee table. "We're trying to find a way to stop all of this from happening."

Castiel sighs and sits down next to them. "The chances that you will be successful are very slim," he says bluntly and Caroline winces.

"But you're helping us," she reminds him earnestly.

"I am one and they are many," he says darkly and Caroline wrinkles her nose at him.

"I don't care what the odds are," Bonnie cuts in, her tone hardening. "We're protecting the people we love and if you won't help us, then I suggest you leave."

Castiel looks surprised and a little offended. "Of course I'm helping you. You just need to understand that you have very little chance of success."

"Thanks, Sunshine," Caroline says archly, more than a little Dean Winchester attitude seeping into her voice. "Because we hadn't figured that out yet." He looks confused and she clarifies, " _Sarcasm_ , Cas."

His forehead quirks and then he says, "Your best option is to unite the supernatural creatures against the Host."

"Good!" Caroline enthuses, sending Bonnie a hopeful glance. "We've already got more hybrids coming—"

"You will need _more_ ," Castiel tells her sternly. "Demons, ghosts, the djinn, shapeshifters, tricksters—"

"How many supernatural creatures _are_ there?" Bonnie asks faintly.

Castiel looks surprised. "Many. All are deeply invested in the continued existence of the world."

"Why would demons not want Lucifer out?" Bonnie says suddenly and Caroline feels like a huge idiot for not wondering that herself. "Isn't he like their leader?"

"No," he says sharply. "He would rule them with an iron fist."

Caroline's hands go to her temples. "Wait—so he's not in Hell."

Castiel frowns at her. "He _is_ in Hell. Trapped. He has no control over the demons and if he were released, they would be forced to bend to his will. The demons will be eager to help, and they will bring the hellhounds."

"Hellhounds," Bonnie repeats, looking stunned.

He nods. "Hellhounds drag souls to Hell." Immediately he looks guilty and turns concernedly to Caroline.

She is frozen in place. " _What?_ " she whispers, blood roaring through her ears. "They—they _drag_ souls to—oh my _God_." Her eyes squeeze shut, one hand covering them. _He's out, he's out, he's out_ , she repeats to herself internally. She squares her shoulders and says fiercely, "I'm fine. It's fine. Continue."

Castiel gestures towards the Bennett family Bible. "The creatures of Armageddon described in Revelation are to be used by the Lord, not by angels. They would not take kindly to the discrepancy."

"So they won't do what the angels say?" Bonnie asks confusedly and Caroline has to admit her head is spinning slightly.

Castiel fixes them both with a look. "They will not know the orders are not the Lord's."

Realization dawns. "We have to find them first," Caroline says softly. "How do you even find—" she glances down. "Four Horsemen?"

"I'm searching," he says tiredly and for the first time Caroline sees the dark smudges under his eyes and wrinkles in his khaki coat.

"Cas," Caroline says gently. "Go home. Get some sleep. We'll talk about it when Sam and Dean come back tomorrow."

Before he takes her advice, he reaches towards Bonnie and says, "May I?" Bonnie looks to Caroline for confirmation; when Caroline shrugs, Bonnie says, "Yeah, okay."

Castiel touches her shoulder and Bonnie gives a cry of pain, hand flying to her ribcage. "They can no longer find you," he says solemnly before nodding a goodbye to Caroline and vanishing.

Bonnie's eyes are watering when she turns to Caroline, hand still splayed over her side. "Hiding sigil," Caroline explains sympathetically. "Hurts like a bitch, huh?"

... ... ... ... 

 

She wakes up in a tangle of limbs and Elena's elbow digging into her back. The sun is streaming through Bonnie's curtains as Caroline tries to slowly free herself from the pile without waking anyone else up.

"Care, so early," Elena mumbles in protest, burying her face in her pillow.

"Sorry," she whispers back, sliding her foot out from under Bonnie's knee. "I gotta get home. Tell Bonnie bye fore me."

"M'kay," Elena agrees sleepily before passing right back out. Finally detangled, she runs her fingers through her hair, trying to halfway tame it, and replaces her pajama bottoms with jeans.

She runs into Mr. Bennett drinking coffee in the kitchen. "Good morning, Caroline," he greets her warmly. "I would have woken you girls up in time for school—you didn't have to set an alarm."

Caroline smiles back at him and says, "Oh, no, Mr. Bennett, I left my school bag at home, so I needed to get up. Thanks for letting us stay over."

"No problem. Tell your mother hello for me."

She nods as she slips out his front door, pulling her phone out and calling Sam.

He answers on the first ring. "We're on the way now, Care."

"Good," she says brightly, climbing into her car. "Was everything successful?"

"I'd say so," he answers. "We won't be home before you have to go to school though."

"Since everything went fine, can you at least give me a hint what you were doing in D.C.?" she whines, pulling out onto Bonnie's street.

"Long story. Tell you at dinner."

"Fine," she groans, hanging up.

When she pulls into her own driveway, the Sheriff's car isn't there and Caroline feels a flutter of disappointment. She's _barely_ seen Lid in days and she makes a mental note to come up with a sound argument for her mother to work less.

When she lets herself in, she spies Castiel sound asleep on the couch and smiles to herself as she makes her way into her bedroom. Dropping her bag on the floor by her door, she goes to her desk to start putting books into her backpack when she spies something glittering on her nightstand.

Apprehensively, she slowly makes her way to her bedside table and sure enough, the diamond bracelet she had returned to Klaus has found its way back to her.

... ... ... ...

  
**tbc.**  


	5. four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Still not mine. Title is courtesy of the amazing Explosions in the Sky.
> 
> AU.

 

  **the birth and death of the day**

 

**4.**

 

"We made a deal," Sam says over his plate of noodles, and Caroline looks up sharply because Sam and Dean's track record with deals leaves just a _little_ to be desired. At her expression Dean swallows the enormous serving of spaghetti he had just shoveled into his mouth and elaborates for Sam, "Not that kind of deal. More like…an alliance." 

"So literally a match made in Hell," she says flippantly, wrinkling her nose as Dean takes another huge bite. "Dean, if you're gonna inhale half a plate at a time, you should at least _chew_. Helps with the whole not choking thing."

"The demons weren't in Hell," Castiel says, eyes focused on his own fork as he twirls his spaghetti into an ever-growing pasta ball. "They were in Washington, D.C."

Caroline stares at him and has to bite down on her tongue to not say, _No shit, Sherlock_. But she's so not in the mood to disclaim sarcasm and she thinks it probably would feel a little like kicking a puppy. "Thanks for the explanation, Cas." She turns back to Sam. "So what was the big rush? What happened?"

Sam has just taken a bite of food so Dean takes over again, "Demons losing their shit. Sammy here went all Demon Whisperer on 'em and we've got ourselves a demon army. And they're spreading the word, so all the creepy crawlies are heading this way."

"And they've sworn to lay off the locals," Sam adds distastefully once his mouth is empty and he makes a face. "After the Apocalypse, though, it's truce over. Back to kill or be killed."

Caroline shakes her head, remembering what Bonnie had said about getting the hybrids back to Mystic Falls and remaining unconvinced. "I just—it still feels like this is what the angels want. Wipe everyone out and there's no one left to protect humans. I know," she hurries when she sees the look on Dean's face, "it's a risk we have to take. Bonnie said the same thing, but it just feelsoff somehow. Like we're getting played."

Sam sighs and says patiently, "It's because we _are_ getting played. The angels came up with a pretty brilliant plan, Care—they want to take out as many supernatural beings as possible but we have no hope in defeating them before they let the devil out unless we have a ton of help. Help from supernatural beings."

"But what if no one from our side even went to the fight? What if we just concentrated on keeping the lid to Hell shut?" Caroline offers hopefully, looking from Sam to Dean with bright eyes.

"Because if we do that, we risk losing demon support. As soon as Daddy's home, they'll have to go to bat for the other team," Dean says darkly, stabbing at an errant noodle. "And trust me, it'll be easier to fight off angels than it will be to lock up Hell."

"Fine," she says, defeated, twirling her own spaghetti listlessly. "But I hope you know what you're doing."

Dean snorts and says, "Speaking of _getting played._ Pretty rich coming from the girl who's encouraging that creepy-ass hybrid vamp. Yeah," he adds when she shoots Castiel a look of betrayal, "You aren't going to be alone with him again, got it?"

Her eyes flick to the slight—but thankfully unnoticed—dent in the stove. Caroline had lied through her teeth about how she'd gotten her hands on the Angel Killing Sword—it involved the sword passing through a long chain of people before ever reaching her. Which she supposes isn't totally untrue. "Don't worry," she mutters. "That's not happening ever again." Dean gives her a short, approving nod before concentrating on slurping up the remains of his spaghetti.

"How're things going on your end, Cas?" Sam wants to know and Castiel tears himself away from his spaghetti noodles.

"The Horsemen prove elusive," he tells them. "But I'm not finished looking." He pauses then continues, "I may have found an ally in the Host." 

Caroline's heart skips a beat. "An _angelic_ ally?"

Castiel nods. "Nothing is confirmed. But she is becoming more convinced." 

"Whoa," Dean interjects, hand going up. "There are _chick_ angels?"

Caroline shoots him a glare and reprimands him under her breath, " _Sexist_ ," as Castiel responds bemusedly, "Of course."

Dean shakes his head as though trying to clear it. "Okay, so this angel that's coming around to Team Human. Can we trust her?"

"She was my superior in the garrison," Castiel says quietly, something like regret flickering across his face. "She is very honorable."

 _Great_ , Caroline thinks resignedly, _because what the world's really been missing is a female angelic Elijah._

Dean leans forward interestedly. "Could there be more? More like you and her?"

"It's possible," Castiel replies hesitantly. "But discovering them would require discretion and delicacy."

Dean's face falls. "Both of which you _suck_ at," he says dejectedly and Castiel looks mildly offended before espousing thoughtfully, "At the beginning of creation— _human_ creation—the Lord placed humanity above all else. The Host of Heaven was to regard your kind as precious and those who refused became Fallen." He pauses to heave a sigh. "With God's extended absence, many have forgotten this—or have decided to manipulate it. But there is hope yet that some who remember the value of humans to the Lord do not want to use destruction to force His hand."

"If God does show back up, Heaven's gonna look mighty empty," Dean comments and Castiel nods gravely in agreement.

 

... ... ... ... 

 

Klaus's bracelet slips and slides over her fingers as she plays with it, the diamonds throwing rainbows on her walls as they catch the fading sunlight. It really is beautiful and Caroline hates that it keeps cropping up because her willpower is only just so strong. But keeping it feels somehow like losing—losing the game of push and pull, losing her pride, losing a part of herself that feels crucial.

There's a knock at her door and Sam pokes his head in. "Hey," he says and she immediately picks up on the patented Sam Winchester concerned voice. "Everything okay? You seemed kind of out of it at dinner." She waves him in and he sits down at her desk chair, eyeing her carefully. She scoots down to the edge of her bed, not looking away from the bracelet.

"Can I tell you something if you promise you won't tell Dean?" she says without thinking, and then winces internally because she really hadn't been planning on telling anyone about how this stupid— _beautiful, sparkling_ —bracelet ended up back in her possession. But she can't seem to stop herself from total disclosure when it comes to Sam. One of his eyebrows goes up incredulously.

"Could this hurt or kill you?" he asks and Caroline wrinkles her nose. If Klaus hadn't killed her or at least snapped her neck in the middle of his last fit of rage, then she is fairly certain he isn't planning on any murder or maiming as far as she's concerned. 

"I don't think so," she says simply, words echoing through her mind— _all those secret looks_ ; _you're the pretty little thing that had my brother in a fury_ ; _if I find out that you are just playing with my brother, Caroline; you're beautiful and strong and full of light_. "No," she corrects herself quietly. "This can't hurt or kill me."

"Then I promise I won't tell Dean," Sam says, although he doesn't look quite convinced at her answer. She holds the bracelet out to him.

"Klaus gave me that," she tells him, "on my birthday. I gave it back to him the night of the ball and…and he didn't take it all that well." Sam doesn't freak out, which is a good sign. He inspects the bracelet, the links that remind Caroline of infinities glittering, before handing it back to her. She takes it and resumes sliding it over her fingers.

"I told him I couldn't be bought," she continues, color dancing across her ceiling as the diamonds wink in the light. "Then he came over here yesterday and we got into this really ugly fight and then I found it back on my nightstand this morning." This last sentence she says in a rush, avoiding Sam's eyes.

When Sam is silent for longer than she expects, she risks a glance up. His hand is on his forehead but—she breathes a small sigh of relief—he doesn't look pissed, only worried.

"I'm going to give it back to him," she says to fill the quiet. "Well, technically, I'm giving it to Rebekah to give back to him, but the end result is still the same, so whatever.

He still doesn't say anything and the uncomfortable silence is making her squirm, so she starts babbling. "Seriously, does he think he can make up for everything he's done by giving me some stupid _bracelet_? He killed Jenna, and only because she was my replacement! I mean, Damon rescued me before he could kill _me_ and I'm supposed to just forget that and fall for his stupid lines about beauty and light and— _no_!" She punctuates the end of her tirade with huff, having unintentionally worked herself up into a temper. " _Say_ something."

Sam sighs. "I don't know what you want me to say, Care. A half-crazy ancient and temperamental hybrid has this weirdly intense fixation on you but I don't think there's anything anyone can do about it. And clearly staying away for him isn't working since neither one of you is leaving the other alone."

"But—no, Sam, I—" she splutters but she honestly has no idea what she wants to say, because it's not like that's untrue. After all _she_ had sought out _Klaus_ on more than one occasion.

"I get why he likes you, though," Sam says thoughtfully and his gaze becomes distant. "When you're surrounded by darkness and anger for a long enough time, someone so genuinely good starts to look like an escape—like a way out." Caroline blinks in confusion at the longing in his voice and then, with a sharp pang, realizes that somehow this conversation has shifted from being about Klaus to being about Sam.

"What was Jess like?" she asks softly, rubbing one of the bracelet links absently. Sam's eyes go down to stare at the floor and she thinks _, Way to be insensitive, Forbes_. "You don't have to—" she begins sheepishly and Sam shakes his head and says, "She was amazing. She was smart…and funny and nice to everyone. She had this way of lighting up a room and she loved so completely. Every day that I was with her felt like…" he struggles for the words, and Caroline feels tears threaten at the corners of her eyes. "She was joy," he says finally, "and I was better when I was with her." _Beautiful, strong and full of light_ , Caroline thinks sadly, equal parts wishing she could have met this girl who had so fully captured Sam's heart and resenting her for taking a piece of it with her when she died.

She reaches for his hand and he grasps hers tightly in return. "I'd bet money that that's why Klaus likes you," Sam says firmly, the haze of memories still shadowing his eyes. "You're like Jess, Care. You love with your whole heart and without reservations or conditions. And for someone who has to compel or sire people to love him— 

"Or dagger them and leave them in coffins for hundreds of years so they can't leave him," she adds darkly, and Sam laughs a little.

"Or that," he agrees, "For someone like Klaus, you've got to be like…like morning after a thousand years of night."

She blinks rapidly at him, touched.

"Wow, Sam," she says softly. "Pretty poetic for an almost lawyer."

Sam smiles a little and replies, "Don't tell Dean. I'd never hear the end of it."

"I'll keep your secret if you keep mine," she promises.

He reaches for the bracelet that she had forgotten in her curiosity about Jess. "It _is_ a really nice bracelet," he muses. She nudges him with her foot. "I liked your present better," she says with a small smile, taking it back from him and sliding it into her bag to give to Rebekah at school.

There's another knock at her door and Dean doesn't wait for the all clear to come in. "I want pie," he announces and Sam rolls his eyes at Caroline. "Dean, when do you not want pie?"

"There's cobbler in the fridge," she points out, stifling a giggle and her eyebrows rising.

"Yeah, and that's fine and all, but I want that caramel pie the Grill just got. Either of you want me to bring you back a piece?"

Exchanging identical looks of exasperation, Caroline and Sam both stand up. "No thanks," Sam tells him, clapping Dean on the back before sending Caroline a grin over his shoulder as he leaves. Dean rolls his eyes and mumbles, "Freak," before raising his eyebrows questioningly at her. 

She considers him thoughtfully and says, "I mean, if you're going anyway…apple, definitely," and Dean grins. "That's my girl," he says, winking at her and she follows him down to the front hallway. "Cas," he calls out and Castiel looks up from the molding book in his lap with a frown. "Want pie?"

Castiel stares at him as though he's just sprouted an extra eyeball. "No," he says incredulously and Dean shakes his head pityingly at Caroline before he says, "Shouldn't be long."

Except it is.

Two _hours_ later, Sam's foot won't stop tapping erratically and Caroline says anxiously, "We should go check the Grill. Maybe he got distracted, and it can be really loud in there so he might not have heard his phone?" _Might not have heard his phone fourteen times, Caroline?_ She's so not helping herself calm down.

Sam glances at the clock on the wall. "Five more minutes," he says resolutely. "We give him five more minutes, then we go look for him."

Even Castiel looks a little worried and Caroline can't even begin to let herself go there—can't even think what it could mean if the angel that literally yanked Dean out of Hell is casting low, nervous looks at the clock.

Finally, _finally_ she hears the distinct rumbling of the Impala's engine and she springs up out of her seat and basically runs out the door, Sam not far behind her.

Dean gets out of the car and frowns at them as she and Sam both start flinging questions at him— _The hell were you, Dean;_ and _you can't just disappear like that, Dean, not after everything! God!_

"Inside," is all he says, tone as brusque as John Winchester's ever was, and he brushes past them into the house. Sam lets out an irritated noise and says, on Dean's heels, "What the hell happened?" 

Dean waits until they're gathered around the kitchen counter, Caroline and Sam shooting matching glares at him. Castiel peeks his head in but when he sees the look on Dean's face, his expression becomes extremely uncomfortable and he retreats back to the safety of the living room without a word.

None of them even notice. "Met your psycho stalker boyfriend at the Grill," Dean growls in Caroline's direction and she pales, her stomach flipping as her eyes rapidly scan him for any obvious injuries. When she finds none, she can barely manage to protest weakly, "He's _not_ my—" before Dean continues as though she hadn't spoken.

"Dude's a creep, Caroline, and I don't care if he spends the rest of his undead life saving puppies or kittens or freaking babies from burning buildings. He's straight up evil. No more secret meetings, got it? _None_." He turns his attention to Sam and Caroline feels herself deflate; she wants to sink right into the floor. "Did you _know_ about that?" He emphasizes _that_ by jerking his head in Caroline's direction.

Sam sighs and says, "Not until recently." 

Dean throws both of his hands up, looking at them with furious disbelief on his face. "Great! So not only is the world's longest running serial killer obsessed with my little sister, but he also has an open invite into our house and she _lets him in_ and no one's even a little bit concerned by any of this?"

"Dean—" Caroline starts (but she has honestly no idea what she even wants to say, because it's not like any of that is _wrong_ ) but he cuts her off by gripping her shoulders tightly and saying fiercely, "Don't let the romantic drawings and the Cinderella dresses turn you into an idiot, Caroline! Use your _brain_ here. He's got a thousand years of experience playing the charmer, but in the end, he's still a monster. He's not Tyler Lockwood—you can't save him by being his friend."

Swallowing hard, she has to give Dean credit because he knows exactly how to isolate her motivations (even the ones that are buried so deeply that she's unaware of them) and that pierces right through her heart. Tears prick behind her eyelids as she nods silently and she's pretty sure she's cried more in the past two weeks than she has in months (but then, she's cried more in the past few months than in the entire first fifteen years of her life, so whatever). Dean's green eyes hold onto hers for a moment longer before she finds herself in an embrace so tight that it'd be nearly choking if she were still human.

"He doesn't get to have you," Dean says forcefully into the top of her head. "When this is over, we—you're done with him, got it?' She nods again even as she looks over at Sam through wet eyelashes. There's a whole range of emotions playing over his face and he returns her gaze helplessly.

Caroline sniffles and whispers into Dean's shirt, "What did he _say_ to you?" He tenses but his arms stay locked around her.

"It wasn't what he said," Dean says lowly, voice still tinged with fury. "It was the way he said it, and the entitled little bastard he is. Assholes like him think that they can just take whatever they want." His arms drop and his hands go to her face. "Your problem, Care, is that you think people like Klaus can be better, that they secretly _want_ to be better. He doesn't want you to change him—he wants to change _you_."

Even as she nods a third time and feels his chin on top of her crown, she can't help but think that he's wrong. Her conversations with Klaus replay in her mind—a loop of _I don't know why you like me...we're nothing alike_ and _that's exactly why I like you…beautiful, strong, and full of light._ She bites her lip and meets Sam's eyes again. He doesn't look like he believes Dean all that much either.

_Neither one of you is leaving the other alone._

 

... ... ... ...

The TV in the living room is blaring the morning news when Caroline settles briefly on the couch with a blood bag, her car keys tossed haphazardly on the coffee table. Castiel is watching it with rapt attention and when he notices her, he motions to the screen and asks, "Why is there no good news?" 

She shrugs as she watches and says, "Bad news sells better. Honestly, the angels should just leave us to our own devices. Humanity's doing just fine destroying itself all on its own." The reporter says something about an animal attack and she shushes Castiel when he tries to speak, turning the volume up.

"…just outside the Mystic Grill," the reporter says, and Caroline's eyes narrow. "The victim was a noted member of the Mystic Falls community: the father of three, and grandfather of two. The police have advised everyone to keep aware of their surroundings…" She mutes it disgustedly and pulls her phone out, tapping on her mother's number as Castiel watches her curiously.

It rings twice before Liz answers, sounding harried, "Hey Care, I can't talk very long. Everything okay?"

Caroline gets right to the point. "Animal attack, Mom?" Liz sighs heavily into the phone and she responds quietly, "No." Before she can let out the stream of obscenities that are resting on the tip of her tongue, Liz adds sternly, "Stay away from it, Caroline. Don't get involved."

"How can you—"

Someone in the background asks for Liz's signature and she sighs into the phone, "Honey, I have to run. But for my peace of mind, leave it, okay?"

Caroline closes her eyes and screws up her face in frustration but doesn't promise anything, saying only, "Be careful, Mom. Love you," before hanging up.

Castiel is staring at her intensely. "You know who is responsible for that attack?"

She waves the now-empty blood bag at him. "Vampire. And I'm like 99% sure I know which one." Grabbing her keys and her school bag, she tosses the blood bag in the trashcan in the kitchen and is so focused on getting to her car that she nearly runs right into Castiel in the driveway.

"Who was it?" he asks, blocking her car door and crossing his arms. "One of the Original ones?" He shakes his head when she doesn't answer. "Which one, Caroline?"

"I'm going to be late for school, Cas."

He gives her that look that makes her feel like he can see right into her soul and she shrinks back a little as he says, "I don't think you were going to school."

"Yeah, well," she says, trying for sassy and falling _so_ short. "Sounds like you have trust issues, which is kind of a personal problem, so…" and she tries to scoot around him. He doesn't even move a muscle, just watches her awkwardly attempt to get in her car with him still standing in front of the door.

"You're going to see the Original vampires," he says and she scowls, "and you can't go alone."

"I'm eighteen years old, Castiel," she points out irritably, fully aware that if she sounds this whiny to herself then he must find it gratingly childish. "I'm an adult."

"I'm older than the human race," he reminds her, and ok fine, that's pretty much a trump-all card, "and Dean and Sam would be highly upset if something happened to you." He pauses. "And so would I." She blinks at that and it requires some serious effort on her part to not melt into a warm, happy puddle at his feet; but she still shakes her head and says, "It's a bad idea, Cas." He regards her then finally moves and she frowns because she has no idea how she won this argument—but then he's waiting patiently at her passenger door and she repeats, "No way."

"I'll stay in the car."

"No!"

"If you're worried about my safety, I can assure you that vampires cannot hurt me."

"Cas—"

"Caroline."

They engage in a brief staring contest before she relents and says, pointing her finger at him, "Promise to stay in the car?" He nods gravely.

" _Fine_ ," she grouses.

... ... ... ...

 

"This house seems far too extravagant for one family," Castiel observes, eyes falling on the fountain. "And that seems entirely unnecessary."

"Tell me about it," Caroline grumbles, parking and cutting the engine. She makes no move to get out and Castiel looks over at her curiously.

"You aren't going to go in?"

"I have to work my nerve up first," she explains, eyes focused on the ornate double doors. "They're all terrifying, but Klaus…he can take it to new levels. We're talking, like, up to eleven. And I'm not exactly about to make his day." She takes a deep breath, forages around her bag for the bracelet that must have been a boomerang in a past life and slides it into her back pocket. She opens her door and says over her shoulder to Castiel, "Stay here. Unless I start screaming or something."

Castiel looks alarmed. "Is there a possibility of that?"

"You never know with him," she says darkly. "He's a moody one." _Understatement of the decade_.

She sets her jaw, squares her shoulders and forces herself to think of the poor man outside the Grill. She thinks of his three kids who will never see him again, and on top of that, he was a _grandpa_. Klaus literally killed someone's grandpa; and then there's the added horrible factor all of this awfulness being sparked by his conversation with Dean. Cold fingers of anger—or maybe fear, she can't really tell the difference right now—clench inside her abdomen as she rings the Mikaelson doorbell.

Her hand is barely back down by her side when the door swings open; and Klaus is just standing there like, _oh hey it's just a normal Tuesday morning even though I murdered someone last night_ and it absolutely infuriates her.

He doesn't say anything, just steps aside for her to come in and as she walks inside she says acidly, "So, did you have fun last night?"

"I'm afraid I don't know to which part of my night you're referring, sweetheart," he drawls slowly, looking amused and she is possessed by the overwhelming urge to throw something at him. She can smell it on him, the scent of fresh blood clinging to him somehow; her gums ache slightly and she viciously doubles down on the craving.

"Playing dumb doesn't look good on you," she snaps. "You killed some poor kid's _grandpa_ because, what, some conversation you had with my stepbrother pissed you off, or pushed your evil button or whatever? It's sick. _Seriously_ , why would you do that?" 

Klaus's face isn't exactly angry but he's definitely not amused anymore. "Have you forgotten what I am, Caroline? What _you_ are? They are food, and they will only ever be food."

She scoffs and says, deliberately recalling her words from the ball, "They're just _ants_ to you, right? Just a means to an end. Just like Jenna, just like Elena, just like Tyler," his mouth curls in distaste but she plows forward, "and just like me." She pulls the bracelet out of her back pocket and closes the distance between them.

"It's insulting how you think I can be bought," Caroline tells him disdainfully, her eyes locked with his. She takes one of his hands in her own, unfurls his fingers so that his palm is flat and drops the bracelet unceremoniously in the center before wrapping his fingers around it in a tight fist. She doesn't let go, her hands clenching hard over his. "No amount of diamonds is going to make up for the fact that you've killed people I care about for your own selfish agenda and you don't feel even the slightest bit of remorse. My _God_ , you can't even acknowledge how you were completely prepared to sacrifice me to break your stupid hybrid curse!"

A muscle in his jaw jumps and he says through gritted teeth, "I didn't even know you." It doesn't escape her that he ignores—or refuses to hear—the first part of her declaration.

"Yeah and clearly you still don't," she retorts and his eyes flash dangerously. "Since you still assume you can buy my forgiveness with shiny jewelry and pretty dresses. But fine, we'll go with that—you didn't know me then and you wouldn't kill me now. Because seriously, Klaus, that's my whole point. You didn't know me and you don't know them. There's no difference between the two."

"Of course there is a difference," he snaps, losing his already tenuous grip on his patience and his eyes flashing. "You're eternal—you will still be here long after they have returned to dust and that makes you _better_."

Caroline shakes her head at him, her hands still gripping painfully tight around his fist. "No, don't you get it? That makes humans _precious_. Their time is so fleeting—they're here for a moment and then they're gone, but we're left behind. That doesn't make us better, Klaus, it makes us pitiful." She lets go of his hand and takes a step back, never breaking away from his gaze. "I'm so sorry that you can't see that."

Everything in his face changes but before she can bolt—before she can even blink, he's tossed the bracelet somewhere beside him and moves in front of her, his hands wrapping around her upper arms. She recognizes the look in his eyes; it's the same one that Stefan used to give Elena, like he was drowning and she'd thrown him a rope— _morning after a thousand years of night._ Her breath hitches and she thinks briefly that if he kisses her, then he's totally missed the point. But he doesn't.

Klaus bows his head slightly, eyes downcast towards the floor, and rests his forehead against hers. _Holy mood swings, Batman_ , she thinks dizzily. His breath brushes against her face and he says, very quietly and almost reverently, "When this is over, go away with me. Paris, Rome, Tokyo—anywhere you want, Caroline. I'll take you."

Her heart skips a beat and warmth hums through her veins, but Caroline can't fathom how he doesn't see that trips around the world are just diamond bracelets on a grander scale. She pulls away slightly, and he lets her, but he doesn't let go of her arms. "You're doing it again," she points out exasperatedly. "Trying to buy something instead of earning it."

He's silent and those dark blue eyes could swallow her whole if she let them. "How can I acquit myself?"

She pulls away again and this time he does let her go. "I can't tell you that," she says softly. "Figuring it out is part of the process, Klaus."

He laughs shortly but it lacks humor. "And what process is that, love?" 

Her head tilts and she feels a flash of sympathy for him—for the person he was a thousand years ago. "Being better," she says simply.

... ... ... ... 

She skips school. 

Castiel stares at her disapprovingly from the passenger seat but she ignores him and says, "It's just been a rough morning and I've barely been absent all year, so it's fine. And look!" She waves her phone at him. "Elena said she'll take notes for me, and she's _meticulous_." He shakes his head at her and frowns.

The Impala is still in the driveway when she parks on the street and Castiel scolds, "You should have gone to school," as they walk into the house. She pulls him in close by his collar and whispers urgently, "Don't tell them where we were, Cas. _Promise_." He looks taken aback, then nods reluctantly. She relaxes and lets him go; he mumbles something about tea and heads for the kitchen. 

Sam sees her first; he has musty leather bound books in the crook of one arm and his brow furrows with concern. "What are you doing home? You feeling okay?" His free hand automatically goes to her forehead to check for a fever and she smiles a little.

"Just couldn't do it today," she tells him honestly and he grimaces in understanding.

 "Yeah, last night was a doozey." He hands her the book on top of his stack. "Since you're here, you get to help research."

"Lucky me," she drawls good-naturedly, glancing at the cover of the book he's just handed her. "Looks old."

"That's because it _is_ old," he says with a grin and Dean stumbles up behind him, rubbing his face groggily. He blinks blearily and when his gaze falls on Caroline, she bites her lip and gives him her sweetest smile.

"S'today some holiday? Columbus Day or something?" he asks, voice gravelly with sleep, and Sam answers amusedly, "Nope. Care's ditching. And Columbus Day isn't a school holiday, Dean."

" _Thanks_ , Sam," Caroline says irritably and Dean becomes much more alert, his eyes narrowing.

"You. School. Now." He jabs his finger at the door for emphasis and she rolls her eyes.

"Dean—"

"Nope, not listening," he says over her, his hand going to her back and guiding her towards the door. "Go learn something." Sam laughs and disappears into the living room.

Caroline plants her feet firmly just short of the door and crosses her arms. "You know, for someone who played hooky for half of high school, you're being really bossy about my attendance record."

"The difference is that you're going to college," he tells her, and he flicks her nose affectionately. "You and Sammy, peas in a pod."

"One absence isn't enough to affect college," she informs him and she holds out the book Sam had handed her. "I need to feel useful, Dean. I've got to help or I might lose my mind."

Dean considers her and she puts on her best pleading face before he finally relents. "Next time you wanna be useful, Care, volunteer to make the pie runs."

... ... ... ... 

"Hang on a second," Caroline says slowly, eyes focused on a yellowing page. Sam and Dean both look up, and Castiel glances her way. "How exactly were you planning on finding the Four Horsemen, Cas?"

He frowns and says, "I've been making careful inquiries amongst the Host and down here, but they've proven elusive. Why? Did you find something?"

She holds up the book. "They're not _here_ , Cas. You don't find them, you summon them."

Sam leans forward and holds his hand out for the book. "Can I see that?" She passes it to him and he scans the pages.

"I don't understand," Castiel says, his expression puzzled.

"It says you have to get a proxy," Sam says slowly and Caroline nods. "It's like a locator spell," she explains. "To find someone with a locator spell, you have to use the closest you can get to their blood. So, like, if Dean went missing, Bonnie would use Sam to find him."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with a proxy?" Dean wants to know, fingers drumming on the table.

"You have to have something of theirs. But the catch is, you have to have something specific from each Horseman."

"It's a ring," Sam breaks in quietly. "You have to have a ring from each Horseman and you can only summon them separately."

"So the Host of Heaven is out looking for these rings and we have to find them first," Dean summarizes, looking over at Castiel.

"That makes sense," Castiel says thoughtfully. "It explains why no one could tell me where the Horsemen are."

"I'll put the word out," Sam says and Caroline doesn't say anything, but she does make a mental note to pass the notice along to Klaus or Elijah. Surely in a thousand years of executing their own unique brand of terror, they stumbled across someone or something that could help them find a set of rings.

... ... ... ... 

 

As soon as the clock chimes 3:00, Caroline bolts from the kitchen in a pique of research-induced restlessness and calls Elena from her room.

"Yeah, I'll let Elijah know," Elena says and she must have gone straight from school to Salvatore boarding house because as soon as she says Elijah's name, Caroline hears Damon and Stefan start to argue in the background.

"Do you want me to come over there?" Caroline asks hesitantly. "Referee or something?"

Elena sighs heavily and Caroline can hear the exhaustion in her friend's voice. "Actually, I'd rather come over there, if that's okay. I can't be here anymore," and Caroline doesn't miss her pointed tone.

"Yeah," she says agreeably, "it's fine. Come on over."

Ten minutes later, Elena storms into Caroline's bedroom, dropping several choice obscenities.

"Jeez, Elena, what happened?"

Elena scowls and starts pacing in front of the bed. "I'm just _so_ sick of Stefan and Damon trying to control my life, Care."

"So don't let them. You're the only person who controls your life, Elena, and honestly, it's past time Stefan and Damon got over themselves and remembered that."

"It's not that simple," Elena protests, but there's little conviction in her voice. Caroline rolls her eyes but before she can further argue her point, there's a brief knock on her bedroom door.

"Sorry to interrupt," Sam says, sticking his head in. "But there's a guy at the door for you, Elena."

Elena shoots Caroline a guilty look. "I called Elijah on my way over and told him to meet me here. Is that okay? I can talk to him on the porch if you don't want to invite him in."

Caroline shakes her head. "He's already been invited in." At Sam's disgruntled noise, she explains, "He told Mom he was a historian doing research on Mystic Falls before anyone knew he really was."

When they follow Sam out into the living room, Castiel is eyeing Elijah with obvious curiosity while a muscle in Dean's jaw jumps sporadically. Elijah rises politely when he sees Elena and Caroline.

"Elena, Caroline," he greets them genially and Caroline watches interestedly as Elena's face begins to turn slightly pink.

"Thanks for coming," Elena says to him warmly, and he tilts his head slightly in acknowledgement. "We need your help looking for something." She glances over at Caroline, but it's Castiel who answers.

"You are familiar with the Book of Revelation?" Caroline stifles a snort and Dean mutters, "Subtle, Cas."

Elijah looks faintly amused and says, "Of course I am. What do you need?"

Sam takes over, handing him the open book on the table. "We need to summon the Four Horsemen, but the only way to do that is to find these rings that belong to each of them." He pauses then adds, "And there's kind of a time crunch. We have to find them before the angels do."

Elijah considers them. "I'll begin right away," he says and then his eyes focus directly on Caroline. "If I may have a word in private with you?"

She blinks in surprise and Dean stiffens, saying shortly, "Not gonna happen, Lurch."

"Shut up, Dean," Caroline says, and she nods to Elijah. "I'll walk you to your car." She can feel four sets of eyes on her back as they walk outside.

He is silent as they reach his car and Caroline crosses her arms as she stops. "So what do you want to talk about?" She has a strong suspicion she knows already but she's kind of hoping she's wrong.

"It's about Niklaus," Elijah says and Caroline curses internally.

"I figured. What about him?"

He is silent for a few moments, his eyes focused on a spot just beyond her shoulder. "You came to see him today. Why?"

She shrugs awkwardly. "You should ask him about that."

"But I'm asking you," he says and Caroline suppresses a shiver. Elijah scares her in a completely different way than Klaus: dark and quietly threatening as opposed to bold and bloody displays of violence.

"He killed someone last night," she tells him softly. "After talking to Dean for two hours." She pauses. "You aren't the only ones who care about family."

Eljiah's eyes move to her face and she has to force herself to stand steady and not shrink back. "I had thought that any humanity left in Niklaus was burned away long ago. It would appear that I was mistaken."

"The man he killed was someone's grandfather, and he wasn't even sorry," Caroline says bleakly, rubbing her forehead frustratedly. "So I wouldn't be so sure."

Elijah gives her a long, unreadable look that makes Caroline shift uncomfortably. "I am quite sure," he tells her enigmatically. "Some of who he was, the brother I had a thousand years ago, remains. But I must warn you to tread carefully, Caroline. One misstep could have disastrous consequences."

She is frozen to the spot and only moves when she realizes that Elijah is gone and that his car is already down her street. Dean storms up to her, seething.

"The hell was that?" he demands and Caroline slowly shakes her head, not answering. Dean scowls and follows her as she walks back into the house.

Elena is gripping her ribcage with watery eyes when they reenter the house and Caroline smiles in sympathy. "You know what we should do?" She doesn't wait for Elena to answer. "We should have a completely normal afternoon. No Apocalypse, vampire, Original, or whatever talk. Just regular stuff like—"

"Psychotic vamp stalkers?" Dean offers with false helpfulness, eyes dark and Caroline shoots him a dirty look, retorting, "Or like how annoying siblings can be."

Elena straightens, hand falling from her ribs. "What's he talking about, Care?"

"Nothing!" Caroline insists, just as Dean says darkly, "That Original hybrid nutcase has a freaking _thing_ for her."

Elena stares at Caroline and her brown eyes are filled with concern. "Caroline, if Klaus is—"

Caroline cuts her off by taking Elena's arm and pulling her down the hallway, tossing a glare at Dean over her shoulder. Once they are inside her room, Caroline says placatingly, "It's nothing, really." At Elena's _Please, I'm not an idiot_ expression, she corrects herself. "He just has this like…crush on me. It's not a big deal, please don't freak out." Elena's eyes widen and she pales slightly; Caroline winces.

"Of course it's a big deal!" Elena cries, taking Caroline's hands in her own, her long brown hair swishing over Caroline's arms. "Care, he…he killed _Jenna_ , and—and Tyler, and—"

"And you," Caroline finishes quietly, looking away. "I know. But now something seems different, Elena. _Not_ ," she rushes to add at the horrified look in Elena's eyes, "that I reciprocate in any shape, form or fashion because I definitely _don't_. But…" she trails off and bites her lip. "I'm doing a crap job of explaining, but trust me. Something's changed."

"Caroline," Elena says softly, taking a few steps closer. "You can't save Klaus. There is nothing left in him that is worth it, that is worth _you_."

Caroline gives her a tiny smile. "Dean said pretty much the exact same thing. But just for the record, I'm not trying to save anyone. I know a lost cause when I see one."

Elena tilts her head and her bottomless brown eyes hold onto Caroline's. "I hope so," she says doubtfully, and Caroline knows her best friend well enough to see that Elena doesn't believe her at all.

"We need him on our side," Caroline reminds her gently. "When everything gets back to normal, we can decide what to do about this mess."

Elena grips her hands tightly. "Promise me you'll be careful."

Caroline offers her a bright smile. "Of course."

 

... ... ... ...

 

"I think your demon army has arrived," Liz says over dinner, handing Dean a manila folder filled with papers. "Lots of weird things happening to people who never have weird things happen."

Caroline offers her the bowl of peas with a beam. "You have to work less, Mom. It's been so long since we all had dinner together." She turns her happy face to Dean who gives her a sarcastically wide grin back before rolling his eyes.

Liz sighs and pats Caroline's shoulder as she takes the bowl and spoons peas onto her plate. "I know, sweetie, but that's probably not going to happen anytime soon." She turns back to Dean. "You need to talk to them. Make sure they understand that as soon as this thing is over, they're out."

"They know," Sam says resignedly and Liz pins him with a look. "Then tell them they need to blend in, because right now they're doing a piss poor job of it." She gestures to the folder Dean is flipping through. "People are ignorant of what's going on, but they're not stupid. They know when their spouses, parents, or kids are acting off."

"We'll talk to them," Dean promises, passing the folder to Sam before pointing to Caroline. "No exorcising 'em. Even if they're in one of your friends."

"Wait, what?" Caroline demands. "You can't be serious—"

"Part of the deal," he says. "If it makes you feel better, they can't hop in Bonnie or Elena." At her confused glare, he explains darkly, "Witch, doppelganger. Demons can't drive supernatural cars."

"But—but Matt and Jeremy!" she protests, turning a little desperately to Sam for help. He shakes his head regretfully and she deflates. "So the entire town is going to end up possessed and fighting in the Apocalypse. Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of protecting the town?" She narrows her eyes at Liz.

"Only the demons without meat suits are possessing people from Mystic Falls," Dean corrects her and Caroline flinches a little. "The ones already possessing people will get here soon."

"Sooner than you think," Liz says grimly. "Got a bunch of calls today about suspicious looking people snooping around. The phone was still ringing when I left."

"Great," Caroline mutters, tossing her fork down. "Just _wonderful._ "

"Ahem." All four of them look up and Castiel is awkwardly hovering in the kitchen doorway. Caroline watches sullenly as Liz puts on her best hostess face and stands up, regarding him with interest. "You must Castiel."

He nods and then steps aside. "And this is Anna."

Sam chokes on his drink, Dean's fork drops with clatter, and Caroline stares at her.

"Hello," Anna, the angelic version of Elijah, says politely.

"Uh," Sam manages and Caroline shakes herself out of her stupor while Dean continues to gawk.

"I'm Caroline," she says, sticking her hand out in greeting. Anna stares at it and Caroline realizes that she has no idea what to do when she looks to Castiel for help; she lets her hand fall back to her side. "So you're Cas's friend?"

"She's decided to fight with us," Castiel says helpfully and Anna nods vigorously in agreement.

"Great!" Caroline says brightly and Dean recovers enough to say, "The more the merrier. Any chance there's more on the way?"

"That has yet to be determined," Castiel says gravely and Anna adds, "Michael is very convincing in his arguments for the destruction of humanity."

Dean physically recoils at the name Michael and fear spikes through Caroline's heart— _I'm supposed to fight with the angels_. Something snaps inside of her and she's done being kept in the dark about this. She stands and pulls Dean up with her, saying with exaggerated cheerfulness to Cas and Anna, "So nice to meet you, but I—I'm having boy problems and I really need Dean's advice, so if you'll excuse us—"

"What the hell, Care?" Dean says but there's no bite to it as she yanks him into her room and shuts the door firmly. "When you say boy problems, you better mean Tyler Lockwood problems."

She ignores him and says accusingly, "You have yet to explain what you meant when you first came back—about the angels thinking you're on their side. Start talking."

He tenses and her stomach rolls. "Dean, if you don't tell me, I'm going to imagine the worst. Just tell me what's going on."

"Care—"

"Dean, _please_."

He sighs and falls back onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling, hands crossed over his stomach. She lies down next to him, her legs dangling off the edge, and waits.

"The angels didn't gank me out of Hell from the goodness of their hearts," he says carefully. Caroline keeps her gaze focused on her ceiling. "Here's the thing. The person you see when you look at Cas—that's not the real Castiel. It's the guy he's…." Dean shrugs one shoulder. "It's possession but it's different than the demonic kind." Caroline starts to interrupt and he holds up his hand to stop her. "They have to have the person's permission."

"What does that have to do with you?"

"Angels can't stay very long on earth in their real form," he tells her. "They all need a vessel—a person to stay in. But Michael…he's an archangel."

"How is does that make him different from Cas?"

Dean turns his head towards her. "He's seen God," he says quietly and Caroline sits up immediately.

" _What?_ "

Dean sits up as well. "Not in a long time, according to Cas, but yeah. The four archangels have all seen God. They're like the head honchos—the five-star generals. So when they take a vessel, it's different from when an angel like Cas does." He stares straight ahead at the collection of pictures tacked to Caroline's wall over her desk. "They have to have a specific person because normal vessels can't deal with it."

"So…so you just don't give him permission to like, take over your brain and that's it!" she exclaims, grabbing one of his hands. "If he can't fight—"

"Care," Dean says reservedly. "They have very powerful methods of persuasion." The words barely register with her; in her mind she sees the battle as already halfway won because no way Dean lets some ball of light mind zap him.

"So you just hold your ground," she replies, as though it's the easiest, most obvious thing in the world and Dean shakes his head.

"You're not hearing me, Caroline," he tells her firmly, taking her face in his hands, green eyes boring into hers. "Listen to me. The first—and only—time they've approached me, they gave me super advanced stomach cancer and took away Sam's freaking _lungs_."

All the blood in her face drains away and her hands shake as they circle Dean's wrists. "W—what? They can…they can do that?"

"Tip of the iceberg on what they can do."

She stares at him. "Why haven't they tried anything recently?"

"Don't know for sure. Cas thinks it has something to do with all the weird crap in Mystic Falls—vamps, witches, werewolves, the works. And now I've got my angelic Invisibility Cloak, so." He shrugs.

Caroline gnaws on the inside of her cheek before offering hesitantly, "I—I'm not saying I want this to happen, or even that it's a good idea, but…but if having you is their key to winning…" _Coward_ , she chastises herself. _Can't even say it._

"Don't even think about it," he says firmly and she flushes.

"Dean—"

His hands clasp her shoulders, his tone final. "I'm not becoming a vampire, Caroline."

"I don't want you to become one either, Dean, but what if it's the only way to stop the _Apocalypse?_ "

Anger, fear, love, and a myriad of other emotions war for domination of his face and she swallows the lump in her throat. "Care," he says quietly, his fingers going to her chin. "Being a vampire doesn't automatically mean you have to bat for Team Evil. You know that—hell, you're proof of that."

She struggles to speak around the iron claws digging into her throat. "But then why? Don't you—" she hiccups and his grip on her shoulders tightens. "Don't you want to stay with me? Because I'll have to lose you—you and Sam, and I c-can't—"

Dean silences her by pulling her into his chest and she thinks to herself that this exact scene, her crying messily into his shirt, has happened way too many times recently. 

"It's not that, Care. It's nothing like that," he assures her, his voice gravelly and her control on her tears wavers. "It's just...I'm still holding out hope that when I get to where I'm going, that…you know, my mom will be there. And I'd rather not put that off longer than necessary."

That sends her straight over the edge into sobbing and in her mind she remembers an old Winchester family portrait that John had squirreled away (but that a thirteen year old rebellious Sam had shown her): Mary Winchester with a tiny Dean on her lap, staring up adoringly at her; and a baby Sam in the crook of her elbow, one of his fat fists gripping a thick piece of blonde hair. Caroline's shoulders shake and her nose drips while tears streak down her face. "But I'll never see you again," she manages to force out between desperate gasps for air that she doesn't actually need. She doesn't care that she's being selfish, doesn't care that she's actually channeling Klaus right now because if there were a way she could guarantee Sam and Dean's safety for eternity she'd do it, consequences be damned.

"Of course you will," he tells her firmly and he sounds so sure of himself that her hysterics slow, her breath coming in more evenly. "You'll stick around here for a while, check out the flying cars and what life on the moon is like, but then you'll realize that no one thinks your Jetsons jokes are funny. Then you'll decide you'd rather be with me and Sammy, because we always laugh at your jokes, no matter how dumb, and that'll be it."

She doesn't say anything, just wipes her face with his shirt, ignoring his affronted noise. As her breathing slows and her heart calms down, he says affectionately, "I would say you owe me a new shirt, but I'll let it go this one time. Just because I love you."

 

... ... ... ... 

 

After telling Dean she's exhausted (true) and that she is going straight to bed (not true), Caroline listens closely at her door to make sure the group in the living room is completely focused on their own conversation before slowly opening her window. At every squeak, she winces and freezes, listening hard for pauses, but none are forthcoming, so she continues until her window is fully opened. Checking one last time for suspicions in the living room and hearing nothing, she slips outside and runs into the woods.

She's not really hungry, and squirrels and bunnies don't exactly taste good, but she needs the distraction—needs to escape her own head, really. The forest is quiet except for the small scratching and squeaks of the very things she's hunting.

Her concentration is so focused on one pesky squirrel that she doesn't notice the cracking of twigs and leaves behind her; she nearly jumps out of her skin when Stefan Salvatore says, "Hey."

She whirls around, one hand clasped to her chest. "God, Stefan! Don't _do_ that!"

He looks annoyingly amused, eyes laughing at her. "Sorry. What are you doing out here? I thought you were exclusively on blood bags."

She shrugs and turns back to the now entirely silent woods; Stefan must have scared the animals into hiding. "Needed to clear my head." At his questioning look, she clarifies only slightly, "Lots of stuff going on."

"Oh," he says and she tries to ignore the curiosity in his voice. "Want to talk about it?"

Caroline eyes him suspiciously, searching his face. "Are you really back to being you?"

He gives her a half-hearted smile. "Trying to be."

She considers him before finally relenting. "You can't tell anyone, especially not Elena. Or Damon. Or Bonnie. Or—"

"I know what anyone means," he breaks in with a small laugh. "What's up?"

She sighs heavily and turns her back to him; she really doesn't want to see his expression post-confession. "Klaus has a crush on me and I'm not totally disgusted by it."

When she peeks back to gauge Stefan's reaction, his thoughtful expression takes her a little by surprise.

"You're not freaking out?" she asks, eyebrows knitting together in confusion and Stefan gives her this mysterious little smile. Her curiosity is immediately piqued. "What do you know that I don't?"

"I knew Klaus before all of this," he says nonchalantly and she blinks in surprise, because _what_? "In the twenties."

"Was he the same as he is now?"

Stefan's eyes lose their focus and he says slowly, "Yes and no. Yeah, he was still crazy, but…we were real friends, Caroline. Brothers."

She inches closer to him. "Were you…you know, crazy Ripper Stefan?"

He laughs humorlessly. "Yeah. But I never flipped the switch." Caroline refrains from reminding him that that makes all of it so much worse and he goes on, "There was enough feeling left in him—enough humanity, I guess, to have real friendship."

"I don't think he wants me to just be his friend," Caroline says quietly, looking down at her shoes; they scuff against each other as she shifts her weight from foot to foot.

"What do you want?"

Avoiding his gaze, she looks up to the black sky, at the stars winking over them, and says unhappily, "For none of this to be real."

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, but that's not an option," he remarks dryly.

"I know," she whispers, eyes locked contemplatively on the North Star; and a fourteen year old Sam whispers in her head, _You're never lost if you can find the North Star, Caroline_. "I don't know what I want, and that's not okay, Stefan, because it should be easy. I don't hate him, and that's the problem because I _should_ hate him, after everything's he's done to us!" She gestures at him. "Case in point."

Stefan gives her a sad, understanding smile. "You can't help how you feel, Care. It's part of what keeps you human. And after you've been a vampire for a while, you start to realize that everyone has skeletons in their closets."

She shakes her head and says fiercely, "No, I get that. But Klaus has been around for a thousand years, Stefan. If he killed only one person for every year he's been alive—or undead, or whatever—that's a _thousand_ people. You and I both know that's the absolute smallest number possible and the real one is probably miles away from that."

"It is a lot of people," he agrees softly, gaze never wavering from her face. "But you haven't answered my question. What do you want? Not what you think you should want, or what Elena and Bonnie expect you to want," he adds as she opens her mouth. "What does Caroline Forbes want?" 

She swallows hard and whispers, "I don't know, and that's the problem. What does that say about me if I can't even resist a mass murderer?"

"Elena couldn't either," Stefan reminds her gently, a flicker of shame dancing across his face. "Don't be too hard on yourself." He takes both of her hands in his and says kindly, "Whatever you decide, Caroline, I'll be there. Regardless of the fallout."

She nods jerkily. "Promise?"

He smiles down at her. "What are best friends for?"

 

... ... ... ... 

 

Caroline is slipping quickly and silently down the back streets that lead to her house when she sees Matt standing in his front yard, still as a stone and staring up at the sky. Dread creeps through her and she approaches him cautiously.

"Hey, Matt," she calls out quietly and he turns his head slowly to look at her, his face blank. "Everything okay?"

He stares at her until she starts to fidget nervously and she repeats, "Matt, are you okay?"

"You are a fool, Caroline," he says flatly and she sees red, the dread twisting into anger.

"Get out of my friend, asshole," she hisses, grabbing his collar and ignoring Dean's orders to overlook any of her friends' possible demonic possession. "Find someone else to play puppet master with."

His face doesn't change at all; he doesn't even flinch. "You are a fool," he says again, "for fighting on the wrong side."

Her entire body goes ice cold and she lets go of him, backing up. "W-what?" 

Matt looks up to the sky and says, "The Host of Heaven will not stop, will not rest, until there is nothing left of this place. You are fighting a losing battle." 

She takes another step back. "Matt—Matt, this isn't funny."

He doesn't look at her. "This is a war the Winchesters will not win," he says emotionlessly, and when he finally turns towards her, she nearly passes out as dark black wings shadow out behind him.

 

... ... ... ... 

**tbc.**

 


End file.
